This week, I’m going to start with another clinical insight. Today, I was inspired by a few patients and I wanted to share. People continued to come in and tell me about all of the organic and keto recipes they were going to use for their Thanksgiving celebrations this year. The more we raise the bar for ourselves and for others, the more we can level up for ourselves and our loved ones.  We know the next several weeks are going to be filled with parties and food and celebrations, so we need to have a strategy. Even the simple changes we make can make a big difference. One thing you can do is take advantage of our Black Friday special! You don’t even have to come into the office, just call us at 850.231.9288 for 25% off! You can even get the additional 25% off the Cleanse Early Bird Special.  But, back to my inspiring patients. I had a young patient come in today right around the 1 year anniversary of when I started to see her. We as people are rarely ever satisfied, but it’s important to take time to celebrate the wins. She’s changed so much, she looks fantastic, she’s lost around 30 pounds, but the most significant thing I see in her is that glow. When you take care of yourself and put in the work, you have a glow. She’s totally different from the woman who walked into my office a year ago.  Putting in the work is sexy!    I also saw a young woman who had decided to get a divorce. While divorce isn’t always something to celebrate, sometimes it’s the necessary thing. She had been struggling with energy and her overall health, simply because of the great stress she was under. It takes fortitude to make decisions for your best health and your best life, even when they’re difficult. I also know that she has a good tribe around her who will love and support her decisions, which is always key.   There’s a concept in health called “all-causes mortality”, which means the things we can do to improve our overall health in such a way that it elongates our life, regardless of how we die. When we talk about long term strategies for our physical health, there’s three things we can focus on. 1. We have to have a cardiovascular base. It can be anything from a brisk walk to crossfit as long as it elevates your heart rate more than being on the couch. 2. We need to get physically stronger. We’re sitting around way too much and we’re becoming weak. An underrated part of this is grip strength. It’s a surprising way to reduce your all-causes mortality. Get some hand grips! You don’t need anything but your hand and the grip and it will make a big difference. You can also train just by hanging on the pull-up bar. 3. We need to increase our mobility. You should be able to touch every single part of your body. We’re born like Gumby and we die in rigor mortis. Where are you on the spectrum? Being tighter will always reduce your strength and make you more prone to injury. We need to make sure we’re getting real with ourselves. If you don’t think you’ll be 100% on with your food, make sure you’re totally on with your supplements and exercise. You don’t have to backslide on everything. Commit to having a plan and a strategy, understanding the reality of your situation. And then, we’re all going to hunker back down in January and continue to level up. As I always say, “If you play, you pay”. If you go out to your office party, overeat, drink alcohol and stay up late, the next morning, it’s time for intermittent fasting. Even if you’re having occasional off moments, you can have them guilt free by having a plan.  1. My 85-year-old mom has recently expressed concern that she finds it difficult to stay focused and engaged during church, watching TV, reading, etc. Her mind wanders and her memory is slipping. What can she do to keep her memory sharp? We have to fire up the brain to get the brain to work. We have a brain tonic available that will help with the focus and the activity which you can get by contacting my office at 850.231.928 or info@balance30a.co