A few weeks ago, I went on a teaching vacation with my adult daughter.   This was my second one this year, so I had a lot less anxiety about juggling my resort responsibilities and getting in some much-needed rest and relaxation.  I learned a few things about myself through the eyes of my daughter. Here are a few things:

1. I need to remind myself that I deserve a break and not feel guilty or feel like I’m “wasting time”.
2. I realized my daughter is growing up and is different from what I remember. This is a good reminder that we constantly grow and evolve and that we shouldn’t be making assumptions about one another.
3. I need to learn how to relax and be OK with doing nothing. Doing “nothing” is doing something – I’m recharging or filling up my cup.

Slowing down and truly relaxing has always been a challenge for me.  I feel like I always need to be doing something productive or something to check off ‘my list”. A lot of this relates to my personality color, red. Red energy is associated with assertiveness, action, decisiveness, and leadership. It’s important to know when this energy is appropriate and when you need to tone it down.

I’ve been practicing the art of toning down my red energy:

1. Pausing and taking a few deep breaths before I respond

Asking myself: “Is this the best way to say this?” or “Is it necessary to respond right now?

2. Practice Active Listening

Summarizing what the other person said before replying (“So what I’m hearing you say is…”). This helps me to slow down and build trust. It also helps the other person clarify further if I misunderstood.

3. Mindful of my tone and body language

Red energy can unintentionally come across as intimidating; so, I try to smile more and lower my voice slightly.

4. Embrace Collaboration over Control

Instead of saying “Here’s what we’re going to do,” I now let others take the lead by replying “Let’s figure this out together.”

5. Be Mindful of Timing

Not everything needs to be addressed immediately or directly. Now, I choose to slow down and assert my ideas later.

Being intentional about toning down my red has led to more peace in my life and less stress. I’m becoming calmer and have more mental and physical energy to tackle my top priorities.  If you scored high in the red category, I’d love to hear your strategies on how you manage it at work or in your personal life.

To your health!

Maria Karalis RDN, LDN

mariamkaralis@gmail.com

Got 2 minutes to exercise? Then you have enough time to lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, and even early death, according to a study published online Oct. 27, 2022, by the European Heart Journal.

Researchers looked at almost 72,000 adults, average age 62, who were free of cardiovascular (CV) disease or cancer. Study participants wore a wrist activity tracker for 7 days. The device measured their overall activity, vigorous activity (vigorous activity usually means activity during which you can’t talk in a full sentence) and frequency of vigorous activity lasting at least two minutes.

At the 7-year follow-up, investigators concluded that exercising vigorously for a total of 15 minutes a week was associated with an 18% lower risk of dying during the study period. Doing at least 19 minutes per week was linked to a 40% lower risk of developing heart disease in that time, and doing 16 minutes was associated with a 16% drop in cancer risk. The risk for all three categories dropped even more as the weekly amount increased.

I like to call these small bursts of exercise, “exercise snacks”. These snacks can be powerful, not just for your CV health but for your mental health too.

So, what is an exercise snack? I’ve been working with a client, Elizabeth, who is an oncology nurse. Her job can be emotionally draining some days, and these exercise snacks help her re-focus.  She claims its “like a reset”.  The clinic she works at is on the 3^rd floor and her snack consists of taking the stairs to the top floor of the medical building.  She aims to get 3 sessions in each time she is at the office.

Other “exercise snack” ideas:

• Place a walking pad underneath your desk and walk briskly in between meetings
• After you eat lunch, go outside for a brisk walk
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator
• Do 10 body weight squats every hour on the hour or every few hours
• Buy some dumbbells and keep them at your desk – do a set of 12 reps of biceps or triceps or deadlifts
• Use a giant medicine ball instead of a chair at your desk

What are your favorites?

To your health!

Maria Karalis, RDN, LDN

What is self-care? It is the act of doing something that rejuvenates YOU and is different for each of us. For me it is waking up before anyone else to pray, read scriptures, self-reflect and be alone with my thoughts and hear God’s whispers. It is waking up early to bake/fulfill a Phanouropita (cake) order. It is my time to revisit my priorities, make tweaks to my plans and design my future.

Many women I see in my private practice tend to de-prioritize self-care and exercise due to work and/or family commitments. We wear multiple hats: partner, mother, daughter, caretaker, employee or employer; the list is endless.  We strive to be perfect and juggle all these responsibilities alone. This is not what God had intended. It’s OKAY to ask for help. It’s OKAY to ask your partner to share household chores or oversee dinner a few nights a week.  It’s OKAY to say no and tell your family, this is my “workout time”.  When I discover that my female clients are hanging on by a thread, I immediately shift gears and focus on how they are going to make self-investment or self-love a #1 priority. We, literally, talk through specifics and logistics – what does it look like? Feel like? And most importantly when will this happen? Then I ask them to put it in their calendar and treat it like a work meeting or an important doctor’s appointment.

Because you can’t pour from an empty cup. Women do it all the time, but it is not sustainable and leads to anger, resentment, burnout, feelings of overwhelm and can ignite disordered eating or other addictions.

A few weekends ago, I had committed to going to “Game Night” at my church on Saturday night. I had a long week filled with difficult conversations/ challenges and when Saturday rolled around, I wasn’t feeling up to going and socializing. I thought I needed “girlfriend time” so I called my best friend and told her I was coming over. After a few hours, I realized that wasn’t what I needed either. At that moment, I knew exactly what I was craving – alone time. To completely disconnect from everyone and everything just for a little bit. So, I checked myself into a nearby hotel and spent 12 hours on my own. No one knew where I was and that, in and of itself, was a liberating feeling. I watched a comedy in bed while eating straight out of a popcorn bag (what a rebel! LOL).  I woke up the next morning and went to the gym then treated myself to a hot breakfast. It was exactly what the RDN ordered! Listen to what YOU need and not what others or our society is telling you what you need.

Be kind to yourself and true to who you are.

All the best,

Maria Karalis RDN

There was a time in my life that my negative thoughts completely took over my mindset and I was spiraling into a deep dark place. I often look back to examine that time- how I got there, what was going on? At home? At work? In my relationships? I look back to examine what I could have done differently and realize that I was doing the best I could. Then I go to the defining moment in my life where I discovered my calling, and I immediately feel peaceful and genuinely happy.

Your life is always going to challenge you to grow. You will always experience struggles. Struggles are meant to strengthen you, and they will repeat themselves until you learn from them. So don’t fight them when they happen. Look at struggles as God’s way to strengthen you and as part of His big plan for you.

We have over 70,000 thoughts in one day and many of those are negative. We also tend to repeat the same thoughts day in and day out, like a broken record. Your thoughts are not your enemy – they are just emotions. Emotions do not define you.  Pay attention when they come and take note of it. What were you doing? Where were you? Who was around? Document your observations in a journal. Study your journal entries after a few weeks and look for any patterns.

Practice Positive affirmations

You can rewire your mindset by identifying a negative thought and replacing it right away with a true statement or positive thought.  I appreciate that emotions are real and can feel overwhelming, but they don’t have to define who you are.  The future God has for you is bigger than you could ever imagine. Trust His plans as they are filled with hope, purpose and promise.

Change your thinking when negative thoughts take hold of your mind.

Tell yourself:

• Instead of “I hate my body” say: “I have a beautiful body. I will keep it pure and clean and for the soul to reside in”. Or “I am wonderfully made”.
• Instead of “I can’t do this” say: “This is hard but I am strong enough to face this. I’ve been through tougher challenges before”.
• When you are feeling overwhelmed, say: “I’m not stressed; I’m learning to handle new challenges with grace”.

Practice Self Love and Compassion

In my nutrition practice, I see many people that try to be perfect with their eating or exercise schedule. They stick with their diet for 3 – 4 weeks then one day when they have a bad day, they stuff 3 cookies in their mouth and decide to through away all their positive progress. Ditch this “all or nothing” approach and practice forgiveness. Forgive yourself and say “I’m only human and had a tough day. But I won’t allow my emotions to define me. I will not allow these cookies to control me. I’m in control”.

Rewiring your brain take lots of practice but it is possible.  Practice positive affirmations every day and soon enough you will find that your negative thoughts are minimal and manageable.

Here’s to you and making 2025 a year of transformation.

Maria Karalis, RDN

“Yeah…NO.” That’s the phrase on my newly purchased T-shirt, and it perfectly embodies my word of the year: NO. For me, it’s about setting boundaries and saying no to situations, events, or even people that no longer serve me.

Let me explain. I used to be a perpetual “yes” person, always eager to help and reluctant to disappoint. Naturally kind and compassionate, I often made other people’s problems my own, leaving little room for my own needs or challenges. Over time, this pattern drained me, leaving me feeling like I was merely going through the motions—an empty shell with no energy to nurture myself.

I now dedicate daily time to meditation or self-reflection to evaluate my progress across key areas of my life. I’ve often written about my priorities, or “buckets,” which include: 1) spiritual, 2) family, 3) health, 4) career, 5) volunteerism, and a new addition for this year: 6) creating social platforms. Each morning, I assess how I’m doing in each area by giving myself a grade. If I fall short in any category, I create a plan of action to address the issue. This method has been instrumental in helping me overcome challenges and stay on track toward my goals.

During a self-reflection session, my word of the year revealed itself, and it has truly transformed my life. I’ve learned to set boundaries by declining social events when I’m overly tired or already stretched too thin. At the start of each month, I evaluate my commitments and identify opportunities to pare them down. If scaling back isn’t possible, I proactively schedule a three-hour block of self-care, knowing I’ll need time to recharge.

When it comes to saying no, I’m referring to safeguarding your well-being and mental space from individuals who may be harmful to you. We all have people in our lives who can negatively impact our mental health or inner peace. Take a moment to identify who those individuals might be and consciously reduce the time you spend with them. While it can be particularly challenging if the person is a family member, you can still create healthy boundaries by limiting your interactions with them.

Embracing the power of saying no has opened up more time in my schedule to focus on what truly matters in my life. I hope this inspires you to reflect on how often you use the word no and perhaps even discover your own word of the year.

Wishing you a Happy New Year!