Life at its Best

I give my client this when I do grocery store tours. (Among many other resources) Here is a photo that shows how to tell if your produce item is conventional, genetically modified (GMO), or organic!

Why avoid GMO's? I talk about this is a previous blog:
post: http://www.jackieamart.blogspot.com/2012/11/gmos-what-you-need-to-know.html

Copyright, 2014, Jackie Mart. For further information about this blog, or Optimum Wellness LLC, contact Jackie Mart at 712.790.5883 or Jackie@OptimumWellnessMN.com. As a holistic nutrition and lifestyle coach, I will support you in taking steps to a healthier and happier you. My goal is to help you create an art of balance in your life. You will also learn how important balance between primary foods (relationships, physical activity, sleep, career and spirituality) and secondary foods (organic food and whole food) is.

www.optimumwellnessmn.com

Yes I am a girlie girl! I love wearing lipstick, heels, and perfume! :-) I have been using essential oil as perfume for about 6 years now. Other perfumes are loaded with chemicals!

Who says smelling delicious has to be toxic? Here is a VERY EASY way to make your own DIY roll on perfumes at home using essential oils. You can use any essential oil (or blend) you want! The great thing about using essential oils is that they not only smell fantastic, they actually have beneficial properties that can help you relax, calm, de-stress, and uplift your mood (depending on which ones you use).

Ingredients:

Fractionated coconut oil
Jojoba oil
Essential oils of choice
Roll-on tubes 10ml
Dropper (optional)

Process:

1) Fill each 10ml roll-on bottle with the following:

1.5 tsp fractionated coconut oil

1/2 tsp jojoba oil

8-12 drops of essential oil of your choice (use more if you want a stronger perfume, I prefer it more subtle)

2) Snap on the roller
3) Shake as needed to combine.

Simple! I made two different fragrances: Whisper and Mental Clarity! Try it!

Copyright, 2014, Jackie Mart. For further information about this blog, or Optimum Wellness LLC, contact Jackie Mart at 712.790.5883 or Jackie@OptimumWellnessMN.com. As a holistic nutrition and lifestyle coach, I will support you in taking steps to a healthier and happier you. My goal is to help you create an art of balance in your life. You will also learn how important balance between primary foods (relationships, physical activity, sleep, career and spirituality) and secondary foods (organic food and whole food) is.

www.optimumwellnessmn.com

If I could give one piece of health advice to everyone I love I’d ask them to shop in a place where they can get the best quality groceries and produce available. Changing my grocery store has been fundamental in changing my health for the better. Typical huge wholesale box stores and conventional supermarkets are stocked with so many bad chemicals and ingredients it can make your head spin. (Hy-Vees, Fareways, Rainbow Foods, Lunds, Byerlys, Cub Foods, Wal-Mart, etc)

The top BIG FOOD companies have created so many foods that are full of anything but whole ingredients It’s cheaper for them to make these chemically made up fake foods than to use real whole and nutritious ingredients. Many of these chemicals and ingredients are banned in other countries but they still allow them here in the US.

Alternative health stores have been around forever, but in the recent past they have become more mainstream allowing someone to make an easy transition to healthier organic whole, packaged and convenience foods. I understand that some big name conventional grocery stores are making an effort to include more organic produce and organic convenience foods but, they still carry all the chemical laden foods too. This makes shopping there 10 times harder because unless you know the brand and trust it it means reading lots of labels and deciphering chemical names of ingredients. Even natural health food stores carry products I would not consume myself. (Just because you shop at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or a Food Coop does not mean you should buy all the products they sell) A natural food store in the Twin Cities where I used to work used canola oil (a top GMO food) in everything they made in the deli. This is why it is so important to do your own research or contact an educated professional for help.

If health food stores are not an option in your area I can help you navigate through the conventional stores to avoid the most toxic foods. I've done many large group and one-on-one tours with clients. I believe education is the best thing! You don't know, what you don't know, right? :-) Please contact me if you have more questions! 712.790.5883 or Jackie@OptimumWellnessMN.com

Copyright, 2014, Jackie Mart. For further information about this blog, or Optimum Wellness LLC, contact Jackie Mart at 712.790.5883 or Jackie@OptimumWellnessMN.com. As a holistic nutrition and lifestyle coach, I will support you in taking steps to a healthier and happier you. My goal is to help you create an art of balance in your life. You will also learn how important balance between primary foods (relationships, physical activity, sleep, career and spirituality) and secondary foods (organic food and whole food) is.

www.optimumwellnessmn.com

Are you up for a challenge this month?

One simple way to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables is to incorporate smoothies into your diet. Making a smoothie every morning as part of a daily routine can dramatically improve your health!

Smoothies are blended drinks that combine leafy greens with fruits, veggies and healthy fats, such as almonds, hemp seeds, flax and coconut. Popular leafy greens include spinach, kale, rainbow or Swiss chard, mint, parsley and collard greens. I prefer to use all fresh, raw ingredients, but using frozen fruit creates a thicker, ice cream-like texture.

Health Benefits of Smoothies:

*Provide you with the full spectrum of nature's bioavailable vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants
*Give you plenty of natural fiber to ensure excellent digestion
*Increase energy
*Weight Loss
*Help empower your immune system to protect you from illness

Take my challenge! Drink one smoothie each day for 30 days and I guarantee you will see and feel the difference!

I have created a Smoothies Made Simple Ebook which includes 30 of my favorite smoothie recipes that are gluten, soy, and dairy-free! 30 recipes equals one for each day of the challenge!

All you have to do to participate is to purchase the Ebook on my website. Click below and scroll down on the page!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

I would love to hear some testimonials after you finish your challenge! You can even post photos and comments on my Facebook Page throughout the entire 30 days. Each person who completes the 30 day challenge and writes a testimonial will be rewarded with a GENEROUS gift! You must post comments, pictures, and a testimonial in order to qualify for the gift!

Need some accountability? Forward this to a friend and complete the challenge together!

*Challenge ends on 3/31/14. You can start at any time as long as you complete it by the end of March! You must consume 1 smoothie per day for 30 consecutive days.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. 712.790.5883 or Jackie@OptimumWellnessMN.com

Hello! I made it back from Florida yesterday! My younger brother got married on the Siesta Key Beach Saturday to an amazing woman! I cried when I saw her walking down the aisle only because I saw the look on my brother's face when he saw her!! I had a wonderful time and wanted to share a few photos with you. I was only there for 4 days and it was chilly (well, chilly for Florida weather..) and cloudy but I made the most of it.

I managed to find a gym on the island. (it was the only one) It was small, open, and quaint. If I ever own my own gym I would want one like this! Where you can workout outside in the sun! Who says you cannot stay fit while on vacation! I even took my second ever gym selfie.. please do not mind the boob sweat! LOL!

I managed to get a head cold while we were there so hit up the Nirvana Juice Bar where they had freshly juiced organic green juices and smoothies! He let me customize my own and we had a great conversation about health, life, and business for almost an hour! I love connecting with like-minded people!

Here are a few photos of the bride, wedding, my bridesmaids dress, the beach and more! I am so grateful I was able to spend this special day with my family!! <3