How to Reflect & Reset For the New Year

Journaling Prompts to Reflect & Reset for the New Year✨

As we’re about to turn the calendar to 2025, this is the perfect time to pause, reflect, and dream a little.

📍First: Save this post so you can find it anytime.

Then find a cozy spot, grab a warm drink, and jot down these prompts…

1️⃣ What are three wins (or more!) I’m proud of achieving in 2024?

2️⃣ What is one thing I want to let go of before the new year?

3️⃣ Who or what supported me in surprising ways this year? What am I feeling grateful for?

4️⃣ What do I want 2025 to be about? What do I want more of?

5️⃣ In one year from now, what do I want to look back and see?

I believe that living with intention is part of optimal health and that the end of the year can be a gentle reminder to pause, reflect, and set a vision for what’s next.

If you have health goals that you need support in achieving in the coming year, we are here to help!

🌱 We are here to support you in achieving your best level of health. Visit our website to take the first step in your wellness journey!

5 Ways to Boost Lymphatic Flow (and Why!)

5 Easy Ways to Support Lymphatic Flow (and why!)

But first, what’s the lymphatic system?

The lymphatic system is a network of vessels, nodes, and organs that helps to remove waste and move white blood cells around the body.

It is so closely linked to the immune system that we cannot expect our immune systems to work without healthy lymphatic flow. Here’s how you can support that:

1️⃣ Movement

Movement activates the skeletal muscles, which is one of the best ways to boost lymphatic flow. Any movement works (a gentle walk, stretching, jumping on a trampoline).

2️⃣ Deep Breathing

Deep belly breathing acts as a natural pump for the lymphatic system by activating the diaphragm and changing the pressure in the abdomen.

3️⃣ Dry Skin Brush

Using a natural bristle brush, brush in gentle, circular motions toward your heart before showering to encourage lymphatic flow.

4️⃣ Contrast Hot-Cold Showers

A perfect follow-up to the dry skin brush, alternating 30-second bursts of cold during your hot shower stimulates lymphatic flow.

5️⃣ Wear Loose Clothing

Especially around the armpits or groin, where we have a concentration of lymph nodes, tight clothes can restrict the flow.

Our bodies are wise. We do not need to do all of these things every day, but our lymphatic system does depend on us to keep things moving!

REFERENCE:

Insert herevon der Weid PY. Lymphatic Vessel Pumping. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2019;1124:357-377. [link]

My Fave Herbal Teas and Why!

Save this list!

If you love to snuggle up by the fire this time of year with a cup of herbal tea, you’re doing your health a favor. Here are some unique benefits of popular herbal teas and why you might choose one over the other:

🌿 Peppermint is cooling and can have a calming effect on digestion, making it a great choice for after dinner.

🌼 Chamomile supports relaxation and sleep, making it a nice addition to your evening wind-down routine (caution if you are allergic to ragweed because chamomile is related).

🫚 Ginger is spicy and warming. It soothes digestion (especially when feeling queasy) and supports healthy immune function, making it a good choice if you’re fighting off a cold.

🌺 Hibiscus is packed with antioxidants to support heart health, making it a health-promoting tea anytime.

Has this given you any ideas? Which tea will you reach for next?

Give Yourself This Gift 🎁

Consider this a virtual hug from me to you 🫶

Even though the holidays can be beautiful, the expectations to do it all, make everything perfect, and show up smiling for it all are just—unrealistic.

Especially if you are a busy mom, a perfectionist, or an overachiever.

💫 So this is your reminder that it’s okay to say no.

To give yourself some breathing room.

To prioritize what means the most to you.

You might be surprised.

That small act of self-care could mean you’ll be more present and have more energy for the things that really matter.

Share this with someone else who also might need this message!

🤧 Supplements I Keep On Hand Just In Case

3 Supplements to Consider for 🤧Temporary Immune Support

What is “temporary” support?

This means supplements that may reduce the duration or severity of sickness when taken during the first several days of feeling unwell. Here’s what the latest research shows:

1️⃣ Elderberry

Studies show that elderberry probably does not prevent the common cold or flu, but it may shorten the duration or reduce the severity. Elderberry can be taken as a liquid juice concentrate or in capsules. (PMID 33827515)

2️⃣ Vitamin C

There has been a lot of controversy around vitamin C, but a 2023 meta-analysis found that compared to placebo, vitamin C reduced the severity of the common cold by 15%. It may not shorten the duration of mild colds, but it may shorten severe colds. These stats are based on people who took at least 1 gram of vitamin C per day and who were healthy at baseline. (PMID 38082300)

3️⃣ Zinc

A 2024 comprehensive review of 34 studies on zinc in relation to the common cold found all kinds of mixed results but in the end, it concluded that zinc supplements may not prevent colds but may reduce the duration of ongoing colds. Zinc can be taken as pills or lozenges. (PMID 38719213)

Our immune systems are beautifully complex, so we can never expect a single nutrient or herb to be an overnight success.

Still, I like to keep these supplements on hand for a boost of support when I start to feel off.

Do you have a favorite immune-support supplement? Let me know in the comments ⤵️

Check out @Darbyfarms for your elderberry needs! 💜

REFERENCE:

emilä H, Chalker E. Vitamin C reduces the severity of common colds: a meta-analysis. BMC Public Health. 2023;23(1):2468. Published 2023 Dec 11.[link]

Nault D, Machingo TA, Shipper AG, et al. Zinc for prevention and treatment of the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024;5(5):CD014914. [link]

Wieland LS, Piechotta V, Feinberg T, et al. Elderberry for prevention and treatment of viral respiratory illnesses: a systematic review. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2021;21(1):112. [link]