I heard an analogy recently that I loved. It is about bugs on a windshield. Basically the gist of it was that if you have a windshield that is full dirt, grime, and dead bugs, and one more bug hits your windshield, you won't notice it. On the other hand, if your windshield is crystal clear, one new bug stands out. 

How does this relate to your health? 

As you know, I am all about eating REAL FOOD. If a person eats the Standard American Diet (SAD) full of pizza, cheeseburgers, fries and soda, it is like the dirty windshield. Making one more poor food choice doesn't change the way that you feel.

As I convince patients to shift the way they eat to a real food diet full of a variety of fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and good quality meats, they are slowly cleaning their windshield. They often notice that suddenly, eating a candy bar or a few slices of pizza has a much greater impact on them than it used to. This is the windshield effect at work! 

Why is this a good thing?

While some people might think negatively about this since they now notice a negative impact when they consume comfort foods they used to enjoy, I think it is a great sign! Inflammation in  body their body has reduced to a point that one meal or part of a meal has a noticeable impact on the inflammatory load and can lead to symptoms. 

The other great thing is that you finally get to experience what life is like with a clear windshield. For me, I notice that I think better, have more energy, digest food better, have less acne, and my allergies are improved when my windshield is clean. 

Are food choices the only thing that can cause residue to build up on your windshield? Absolutely not! Poor sleep, stress, lack of body movement, infections, immune system dysregulation, hormone dysregulation, and so much more can play a huge role with this! 

Last night, my husband and I both ate a bowl of ice cream with snickers in it. Upon talking to today, we both realized that we are having trouble focusing, and are feeling a little bit "foggy headed". We have cleaned up our windshields over the past few years, and I believe that that one bowl of ice cream was enough for us both to feel the impact. 

Why am I telling you this now?

• I plan to eat mostly nutrient dense healthy foods, without stressing myself out over this. I might enjoy a few treats here and there, but I will continue to grocery shop and cook meals as we always do (without letting more of that snickers ice cream sneak into the cart!)
• I plan to prioritize sleep. I know that we wake up by 5 am every morning, so I need to be in bed by 9 so that I can aim for 8 hours in my bed. 
• I will focus on spending time with friends and family rather than stressing out about finding the perfect gift. 
• I am going to make daily movement a priority. Even if it is just going for a walk, I am not going to let the colder weather keep me from moving. 

What about you? Is your windshield clear or covered with bugs? Are there some easy steps you could take to begin to feel better this holiday season? I'd love to hear about it! Shoot me an email, or chat with me on facebook! 

If you are a Wellness Warrior Bootcamp Graduate, be sure to stay tuned to our facebook page over the next few months. I'll be posting lots of holiday tips and recipes! If you try any good recipes, or find any good articles feel free to share them with the group so we can all succeed together! If you haven't checked out these classes yet, our next series of online bootcamp classes (nutrition and lifestyle) will be starting up again in January. If you know you want to join us, feel free to get signed up before the spots fill up!