Happy New Year, Health Warriors! January might be frozen, but it’s always fresh.
Below, we load great abundance on your days for 2024. At Dodjivi, our happy, Mushroom- loving Hippo Fafa Mush reminds us, ‘You are born great and have the potential to be your best self’, so we’ve created real and manageable steps to actualize this- even if it takes til spring.
Step #1 New Resolve Deepens Our Health.
Many things we carry are for health, both inside and out. We know the habit of functional Dodjivi Premium Mushroom Coffee on the daily will boost our immunity, allowing us to increase available energy each day. Enjoying coffee with functional Reishi, Chaga, Turkey Tail and Lion’s Mane mushrooms means balanced energy, no jitters or crashes, and the benefit of bioavailable immune-modulating beta glucans[1]. With new resolve, we remind ourselves of all the Dodjivi health benefits- and we embrace the habit. Chaga contains potent phenolics and flavonoids– antioxidants that scavenge for free radicals[2]. Turkey Tail’s 30+ antioxidants include highly anti-inflammatory, antiallergenic Quercetin[3]. Reishi boosts dendrite cell function, so immune cells recognize and destroy antigens[4], and promotes immune cell development. Lion’s Mane is antibacterial and antioxidant-rich, with phenols and flavonoids. Choosing to strengthen our health with Dodjivi functional coffee each day is an easy win.
Step #2 Tiny Changes Can Add New Energy.
. A new calendar is prime time to let go of things that make us stuck. Some habits are comfortable- yet bog us down, sapping energy, time, even happiness and health. The comfort of habits can actually create physical stress. Consider evenings dozing on the couch, or scrolling, bleary-eyed, too tired to move. Instead, a one- minute burst of energy could take us from couch to a good night’s sleep routine[1]. A new habit of leaving your phone in one room, and only checking it there can mean time saved, more positive feelings and increased productivity. A few minutes on the couch or scrolling are not a problem. But getting up and detoxing (wash, brush, floss), preparing the body for rest, sparks a healthy reset for tomorrow. Your body has hinted: why fight it? And leaving the phone in one room, only standing up to check it? It’s like you’ve just found both time and energy. What a win.
Step #3 New Eyes Release Us From the Old.
Take a scan of your environment. Each time we scan our surroundings, we spend background energy assessing what we see. If a space or surface is cluttered, our thinking can clog and prevent possible fresh ideas and thoughts. We can literally get stuck on what’s in our sightlines. Purposefully, regularly editing a space to make it positive is a way to increase our energy for new and creative ideas. This doesn’t mean giving away everything: it’s about new, fresh edits for that corner of our office, kitchen, bedroom, TV room, allowing eye and brain to create positive associations, and free up emotional energy. Decluttering and reimagining have health benefits[1] of allowing our emotions to refresh…think what might happen or where we can go in 2024 with this small change and the extra energy we reap from a pleasing space.
Step #4 New Paths Refresh the Soul: Grab the Energy and Get Curious.
You’ve edited, reorganized and displayed a few new eye points that rock your soul. You’ve ditched a comfortable, unhelpful habit. So what to do with that extra energy? We can harness it for pleasure, economic gain, health (having taken time back from scrolling and dozing). If we begin with an attitude of cultivating curiosity and interest – using new eyes and seeing through rose-coloured glasses– both wellbeing and happiness levels can increase. Practicing curiosity is associated with enhanced psychological well-being, grit, subjective happiness, and meaning in life, as well as lower rates of depression and fewer negative emotions.[1] (More about curiosity’s power here.) Who doesn’t want- and need- more Happy in January, and any point in the year?
Step #5 New Movement Increases Neuroplasticity & Fights Brain Age.
Exercise is beneficial and life-changing: strength training, weight-bearing, brisk movement- especially beneficial when we practice all forms of it. Exercise positively alters hormones, increasing feel- good endorphins, and decreasing cortisol of the stress response. And adding variety and novelty to exercise has profound mind – body benefits connected to the brain’s neuroplasticity [1]. Novelty of movement stimulates new neural pathways. This ‘neurogenesis’ creates both new neurons and new connections, expanding our neuroplasticity, which declines with age. So adding a few new exercises not only benefits our overall fitness- it defies the natural aging of our brains. Nice.
Step #6 Yes, Salsa Dance: When movement Is Pleasure (Not Work).
What if movement meant fun, socialization, a sense of community for all involved? And it warmed you on freezing days? What if a new dance was accessible to all, from the get-go? Your heart rate and neural pathways increase, you practice it right away, and your brain and body benefits begin on Day One. Latin dance such as Salsa can warm our winter and boost endorphin release as we move at its moderately intense pace. Dodjivi’s founder, Komlanvi Dodjro is a long-time Salsa dancer and instructor whose favourite activity and passion is Salsa. He can be seen on the dance floor weekly, teaching and social dancing. Salsa’s style of sociability means if you begin a class alone or with a partner, you are a part of the group. The variety and movement in a dance session means varying partners, new connections and boosting serotonin as you become part of the moment. Salsa’s physicality challenges spatial awareness and engages aerobic pathways while its rhythm pleases mind and soul. It’s wellness and health in something fun that keeps you going back the next time.
Step #7 New Courage to Shed Tiring Obligations- ASK, and Reap New Energy.
Consider your obligations. With new eyes, examine the draining ones: some are must- do’s, others are self-imposed – both can be refreshed. In shedding or reorganizing obligations, the new energy we reap can be exhilarating. Your pick up, drop off or visit can be re-worked to lower stress. January is perfect for suggesting a carpool to work or kids’ activities, and each party gains peace, and cuts vehicle use. Remove or switch them up to revive your energy. The event you attend out of habit? Ask for a change of timing, venue, or frequency. We get tired of routine for a reason- and novelty allows us a beautiful refresh, to lower habitual stress.
Here’s to our abundant, health- filled new year!
And please note: if the path we are on is not working, we don’t need a new year, new week or even new day to veer off. Pause. Breathe. Reset, and begin again.
Martha
Martha Kenney Burbank, R.H.NHolistic Nutritionist + Health Coach at KenneyBee Holistic Health
