Category: Health & Wellness

Sage Advice®

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07.28.22 | Community

How to Combat Senioritis As An Adult

It’s not just teenagers who can feel senioritis adults can too. We’ve all experienced it at some point; laziness, disinterest, having no motivation, not caring about the outcomes of our life. But just because these symptoms of checking out are universally experienced doesn’t make them okay to ignore. Today, we’re investigating adult senioritis, how checking out can affect your wellbeing and tools you can use to combat it:

What Senioritis Looks Like As An Adult

You might know senioritis as the affliction many seniors in high school experience as they enter their final year when their motivation declines and their drive to succeed diminishes. Though this phenomenon isn’t just found in young adults, anyone can experience senioritis. 

Typically, senioritis begins when there is a sign of a major transformation occurring in life, like graduating high school or even starting a new job. It begins with a fear of the future and feeling like you may not have control over a situation. As we age, many of the small tasks we enjoy earlier in life become tiresome and lose value to us, which can lead to checking out. 

However, it’s important to remember that checking out looks different to every person. The key is to recognize the signs and signals once you see them and begin taking action to snap out of the senioritis. 

How You Can Combat It

After acknowledging that you may be checking out, don’t start by setting unattainable goals for yourself – start small. Give yourself a to-do list of a handful of goals to reach every day, whether that’s going to the grocery store to run errands or making sure you respond to all of your emails. 

Once you’ve given yourself a list of small goals to aim for, the next step is to pair an incentive to it! Use motivations that connect back to why you might be checking out in the first place; if you’re starting a job, go shopping for new work clothes. Whatever your incentive is, use that to help drive you to complete your goals. 

As you tackle senioritis and become an active participant in your life again, remember to take it one step at a time. It might not always feel like you’ll be able to step out of it, but you will. 

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Sage Advice®

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07.14.22 | Sage Advice®

Take A Break: How Microbreaks Can Change Your Day

At Sage Collective, we encourage self-care through many elements of our 9 Ways of Vibrant Living. Taking advantage of tools like meditation and even going to the museum to relieve stress and fatigue can be game-changing when it comes to our health. Another often unused device is taking microbreaks. Learn more about their power and impact on our well-being here:

Whether you have limited availability throughout the day or you’re uncomfortable making time for yourself, studies have found that scheduled breaks leave a powerful impact on the body and mind. Microbreaks in particular – lasting anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes – can leave even larger impacts on our wellbeing. 

Sophia Cho, co-author of research conducted by the Journal of Applied Phycology states, “A five-minute break can be golden if you take it at the right time.” The paper found that microbreaks were useful in conserving and managing energy and engagement throughout the day. 

Besides the vast health benefits that come with taking microbreaks throughout the day, another comfortable aspect behind the tool is that the activity can involve anything you want. You can easily break up your routine by taking a power nap, walking during your meeting, stretching or even talking to a friend on the phone. 

So, next time you find yourself in need of a minute or two of rest and relaxation, listen to your body and take a break. 

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Sage Advice®

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07.07.22 | Sage Advice®

The Importance of Personal Freedom and Independence

Independence and freedom are critical for everyone, but the older we get, the more significant their effects can have on us. While being independent is understood universally as having freedom, for individuals – specifically adults – the word can have a much deeper meaning and impact. Today, we’re diving into just how independence benefits us all as we continue to age. 

There’s no question that with age comes a plethora of changes to our minds, bodies and surroundings, and independence is sometimes the only thing we feel we have control over. Maintaining that control over our independence is just one aspect of ensuring you are living vibrantly and comes with its own rich benefits. 

Elevates a Sense of Purpose

Because independence is such an empowering, enriching privilege, it’s extremely powerful in granting a sense of purpose to those who have it. The opportunity to create goals, large and small, in hopes of accomplishing them is one of the most significant reasons for this characteristic. Whether you’re aiding in the lives of your family, friends or community, or working on yourself, having the freedom to set objectives provides a powerful sense of purpose. 

Encourages Relationship Development 

It isn’t easy to keep up with the newest technology and cultural developments, especially as an older adult. Building and maintaining relationships that provide access to the right resources is crucial for personal independence. Whether you have a family that helps you stay in the loop by navigating you through the latest technology or a neighbor who checks in on you every few days, community and independence go hand in hand for empowering a vibrant life. 

Enables Individuality

While a sense of purpose and relationship building is essential, independence has a significant impact on how you feel as an individual. When the divisions in your life are left out of your control, it’s not hard to feel a loss of yourself and your freedoms, which is why it’s critical to maintain a vibrant lifestyle and your sense of self, no matter what environment you find yourself.

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Sage Advice®

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06.30.22 | Sage Advice®

Change Your Mindset On How You View Leisure Time

Working and finding purpose helps to bring meaning to life, but leisure time that we spend with people we love and doing things we enjoy is what brings extra health and happiness. While some people may view their leisure time as wasteful, a new study from the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology finds that the more negatively we see this time, the less enjoyment we will receive from it. 

Goal-oriented activities like working out and meditation are typically viewed in a positive way whether or not those who participate in them view it as wasteful because of their productive value. But activities like hanging out with family and friends or enjoying activities for pleasure like watching television or simply relaxing are often viewed as self-indulgent.  

The study explains that those who viewed their leisure time as less enjoyable and wasteful were found to have more anxiety and stress in their life, and those who viewed it oppositely were happier. Results conclude that happiness not only has a linkage to whether people partake in leisure activities but also how they value that time spent. 

It can be a strenuous process to change your mindset, but it’s important to remember the value that lives behind leisure time. Instead of viewing the time as wasteful, relating it to procrastination or work and tasks, start to picture it as beneficial time you can utilize to take care of yourself. 

You can read more of the study here.

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Sage Advice®

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06.23.22 | Community

Smoothies: How You Can Pack Everything Into A Delicious Drink

Good dietary choices make for the foundation of good health. And, as we age and our bodies change, these decisions become more and more important for our wellbeing. Previously we’ve shared various healthy eating tips everyone can follow to keep you and your diet on the right track throughout the year. Today, we’re spotlighting one nutrient-packed refreshment that – thanks to the season’s ample availability of fresh fruits and vegetables – is the perfect for summer: smoothies. 

The Benefits Behind Smoothies

Eating fresh produce is critical to everyone’s health, and thanks to smoothies’ ability to condense large amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables, they make the perfect snack to fill up on nutrients and boost wellness. For those looking to increase their digestive health, smoothies provide the perfect opportunity to fuel your body with high-fiber foods like strawberries, bananas and dark leafy greens without singling each ingredient out.

Because of the large amount of water contained in many of the ingredients found in most smoothies, they make staying hydrated easy throughout the hot summer months when it’s most important. They’re also a perfect way to start your day thanks to the extra boost of vitamins and energy they provide and the fact that they usually reduce food cravings throughout the day and are surprisingly filling.

Make Your Own

Besides the seemingly endless benefits that come from smoothies, what makes them so convenient is the ability to customize them to your liking and dietary needs. Whether you want to target protein intake by using yogurts and nut butter or antioxidant-rich produce like spinach and blueberries, there’s no way to go wrong. Here are two of our favorite recipes: 

 

Green Smoothie: 

2 cups of spinach or preferred green

1 cup of your milk or juice of choice

1 banana cut into chunks

½ cup of pineapple chunks

½ cup of grapes

¼ cup of plain Greek yogurt

Ice as needed

 

Berries and Vegetable Smoothie:

1 cup of blueberries

1 banana cut into chunks

1 cup of spinach or preferred green

1 cup of milk or juice of choice

¼ cup of plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons of nut butter of choice

1 tablespoon of flax seeds

Ice as needed

 

The directions for making a smoothie are simple. Just add all of the ingredients to a blender, blend and enjoy!

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06.16.22 | Community

Simple Ways You Can Expel Stress This Summer

As one of the pillars for our model of 9 Ways of Vibrant Living at Sage Collective, we believe stress reduction is crucial to living a vibrant life. And while stress is a normal component of life, our focus isn’t to eliminate it but rather to learn how to manage, control and minimize it. Today, we’re spotlighting four tools everyone can utilize this summer and throughout the year to reduce stress:

Get Outside

Spending time outdoors is one of the easiest ways to relieve stress throughout the summer. While sunshine is accessible year-round, summertime is when you can benefit the most from the vitamin D it supplies! Vitamin gain leads to stronger and healthier bones and boosts immune systems. Research has even found that exposing yourself to fresh air and natural light for as little as 15 minutes a day helps to decrease emotional distress. 

Spend Time With Friends and Family

Time outdoors isn’t the only thing you should be adding to your daily routine in the summer. Another way to assure less stress and anxiety is by spending more time with your friends and family. As the proverb goes, “it takes a village.” Community and safe spaces are extremely significant to our wellbeing, especially when going through a stressful time. So, setting aside time to spend with family and friends is a sure way to help you stay stress-free! 

Reflect on Your Day

Whether it’s prayer, meditation, or simply practicing gratitude, taking time to reflect on your day is another way you can expel stress. As little as ten minutes of any of those activities can leave a profound impact on how you view your days, even when you may be facing stress. Along with reflecting on your own, taking opportunities to practice acts of service is another powerful way to relieve stress while engaging with your community and building relationships!

Take a Nap

Naps aren’t reserved for just little kids and are much better for our health than many people realize. Along with being a great way to break up your day and provide a much-needed break, naps have been found to lower the risk of heart disease, increase the body’s energy and lower stress! Naps don’t have to be long either; studies show that the most beneficial nap length for our bodies is only 10 to 15 minutes.

Living with stress isn’t enjoyable for anyone, but once we utilize the correct techniques and tools, controlling and minimizing stress is much easier than it sounds.

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Sage Advice®

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06.09.22 | Community

Sage Collective’s Guide to Summer Wellness

We believe supporting healthy eating, outdoor activity, and self-care is always important, but summer is arguably the best time to practice all of the above! The warm weather and all that comes with it makes the season the perfect time to focus on individual wellbeing. Today, we’re sharing what you should be focusing on this season to guarantee nothing but the best for your body and mind:

Hydration

The key to a healthy and enjoyable summer is staying hydrated. While hydration is consequential during any season, it’s especially important to pay attention to in the summer months. Daily fluid intakes vary by the body, health condition, medications and even daily activity, but the consensus is that drinking water should become part of everyone’s daily routine throughout the summer. 

While drinking water is an amazing way to keep hydrated, there are plenty of other ways you can do so. Eating foods with high water content, like cucumbers, watermelon, strawberries, grapefruit and peppers, and taking probiotics are great ways to prohibit dehydration. And, if you aren’t a water drinker, try adding a few different ingredients like fresh lemons, berries or other fruits to add delicious flavor without the artificial preservatives or sweets!

Skincare

Protection from the sun and its harmful UV rays are essential for everyone during the summer months. While it does come with its benefits, like Vitamin D, when exposed to the sunlight for too long without protection, your body becomes more prone to wrinkles, dryness, age spots and even forms of skin cancer. 

That’s why it’s critical to protect your skin with anything from sunscreen to the clothes you wear. The key to skincare in the summer begins with sunscreen. SPF levels of 30 or higher are usually recommended, as well as reapplying throughout the day, but what’s most important is that you like what you’re putting on your body. Other ways to help avoid the sun’s harmful rays is by wearing lip balms, hats, sunglasses and other skin-protecting cosmetics. 

Practice Self-care

Because of the warm weather, longer days and more energy we feel during the summer in general, it’s the perfect time to start adding more self-care into your routine. Find some time in the long day to begin developing your exercise routine or encourage yourself to eat healthier by planting fresh fruits and vegetables in your garden. 

This is the best time to begin any new healthy lifestyle habits that can keep running through the end of the year and spend more time focusing on yourself. 

The bright sunlight, fresh air, and longer days are just some of the reasons why summertime is one of the most fulfilling times of the year. But don’t forget to focus on your health and wellness throughout the season!

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Sage Advice®

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05.26.22 | Sage Advice®

Elevate Your Meal By Boosting Flavor And Benefits

At Sage Collective, our 9 Ways of Vibrant Living at Sage Collective serves as the backbone of our philosophy and a realistic tool for everyone to utilize for living well. And while we believe each pillar is necessary to create a vibrant lifestyle, many are traced back to what we put in our bodies. Today, we’re exploring how you can implement a plant-based diet and moderate calorie intake into your life and still elevate your meal with flavor and countless health benefits. 

One of the easiest ways anyone can elevate their cooking is to stop thinking of food as “healthy”. Although it may seem difficult, changing how you think of food can also affect how you eat it. Instead of telling yourself that you have to eat healthy foods or diet, use the words fresh, healing, nourishing or even gourmet. 

Buy Fresh

Purchasing your produce fresh and locally is a sure way that you will find more flavor and benefits in your meals. Fresh produce is packed with countless vitamins and minerals that you can find little elsewhere. The nutrients stored within them have been found to reduce the risk for high blood pressure and heart disease and even help the body produce more energy. And not only will eating fresh make you feel better, but it also heightens the flavor of your meals! So, next time you find yourself at your local farmer’s market, make sure to stock up on some of your favorite goods.

When In Doubt, Add Lemon Juice

If you aren’t the world’s best cook but still want to put a little more effort into whipping up your fresh meal from home, you’re going to appreciate this tip – add lemon juice! Not only is lemon juice usually easily accessible, but it’s also very easy for cooking beginners to use. Alongside the acidity it can add to a meal, lemons and lemon juice also come with a high concentration of vitamin C, a significant aid to the body’s healing process and can aid in digestive and heart health. 

Cook With Wine

Like eating plant-based and moderate calorie intake, another pillar to vibrant living includes, moderate alcohol intake, especially wine. Cooking with wine helps give your food an extra layer of complex, delicious flavors, and it also retains the same benefits you would get from drinking it! The trick with cooking with wine is to use the same wines that you would drink. Some nourishing recipes include steamed mussels and pan-roasted halibut. 

To live a vibrant lifestyle, you must know what you’re putting in your body. And while eating ‘healthy’ might scare some, fresh food can always be elevated, packing both extra flavor and benefits.

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Sage Advice®

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05.19.22 | Sage Advice®

The Best Houseplants to Bring Life to Your Living Space

At Sage Collective, we recognize the vast health benefits that come with getting your hands dirty and gardening. Whether it’s a community garden, a personal herb garden, or simply adopting a few plants for your home, surrounding yourself with greenery helps improve everything from the air to your mood. We’ve previously shared our tips for caring for houseplants, but today, we’re exploring which plants would make the best fit for your home. Whether you’re a gardening expert or new to the plant world, here’s our guide on the best houseplants to bring life to your living space. 

Snake Plant

Snake Plants are one of the most popular houseplants for a reason – actually, many reasons! Not only do they adapt to any space they are put in, large or small, but they are one of the easiest plants to take care of. Whether you have an abundance of natural light in your home or are lacking the sun’s rays, your Snake Plant will find a way to thrive in any corner. And, even though they range from one to four feet tall, they still make the perfect plant for small spaces, considering the little width they take up. 

Boston Fern

A fern is an essential element of any person’s indoor plant collection, and what better option than the Boston Fern? Don’t let the fern aspect of the plant scare you. While it loves humanity and bright, indirect light – making it the perfect porch plant – it’s pretty easy to care for. Not only will they supply your living environment with lush greenery, but ferns are also known for their ability to clean the air they live in. Another benefit of the Boston Fern is that it is pet safe for dogs and cats! 

Monstera

What is often presented as just the trendy plant is actually one of the best plants to invite life to your indoor space. Because they exude tropical, lush energy, Monsteras can quickly transform the feel of any environment. They are easy to care for, considering they do best in bright, indirect sunlight, aren’t strict with watering, and usually alert you with visual cues when they need some extra attention. 

Anthurium

You can’t have an indoor garden without having at least one blooming beauty. While there are many options to choose from, we believe Anthuriums are the best all-around flowering plant for your indoors. Surprisingly easy to care for, Anthurium plants are a great beginner plant for those who are scared they might not have the green thumb for a blooming plant. They love water and humid environments and, when completely satisfied, will bloom the most vibrant red flowers. 

Whether you’re looking to decrease stress and anxiety, hope to improve your air quality and mood, or simply want to brighten up your living environment with some greenery, adopting a houseplant – or a few – is sure to benefit you more than one way. So, what are you waiting for; Find your local plant store and discover the perfect plant to bring a little extra life into your living space.

 

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Sage Advice®

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05.12.22 | Community

Moderation is Key to a Healthier Life

Moderation is key. We’re sure you’ve heard that phrase at least a couple of times throughout your life. And although it may be bothersome at the moment, some truth exists behind the famous saying. Finding the middle ground between excess and frugality is difficult, but once found, living in moderation welcomes a healthy balance into life.  

The exercise of moderation looks different for everyone. One person may practice moderation within their life completely differently than someone else. It’s the way that you perceive moderation that is most important. 

Moderation is often immediately associated with following strict diets, losing weight, etc., but it involves much more than what many believe. The key to moderation is learning from your experience and applying that knowledge to your lifestyle. Sure, changing your diet to plant-based foods and being active daily is outstanding for your health and wellbeing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re learning how to live in moderation on your own. 

In order to live a vibrant life, including those aspects of healthy living, is essential, but doing so with moderation in mind, so deprivation doesn’t occur, is critical. Just because you’re living a healthier lifestyle does not mean that you have to cut aspects of your life that might not traditionally be seen as ‘healthy’. Have a cookie and drink wine, but do so in moderation. 

Staying true to yourself and keeping mental health in mind is imperative when practicing moderation. Moderation is key, but not necessarily in the traditional way it’s viewed. Address your bad habits, uphold your good ones, and find the perfect balance between the two to be a better and healthier you!

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