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If you were told you had an 87% risk for breast cancer, would you undergo a double mastectomy as a preventative measure to eliminate or drastically reduce your risk? Essentially, this is what actress Angelina Jolie did. Just this week, she announced in a New York Times article that she underwent the double mastectomy after learning she carries a mutation of the BRCA1 gene, which is a marker for increased risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

What a difficult decision. Brave, some might say. While others: over reactive. Personally, I believe it is an extremely personal decision. If it gives Angelina Jolie peace of mind, and makes her feel safer, then so be it. She did what was right for her. And, when the stakes are as high as they seem to have been for her, it sounds like she made a sound decision.

Her decision, however, raises the question: How much of a role do our genes play in our risk for disease?

Many individuals in the medical profession chalk disease up to genetics. And that is fair. Genetics play a big role. Yet, studies continue to show that our lifestyle choices, although not 100 percent fool-proof, play a huge role in making our genes for disease present themselves, or not. This realization, however, means that many people who are currently sick or become sick with preventable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and maybe even, Alzheimer’s, would have to hold themselves accountable for the diseases they are faced with – and that is difficult to swallow.

In speaking to many individuals about lifestyle and the importance of making healthy choices, it is relatively common to hear the following arguments for NOT choosing to be healthy:

• “I could be hit by a truck tomorrow, so I’m going to eat and do whatever I want.”
• “It is all about genetics. If I’m going to get cancer, I’m going to get cancer.”
• “I only have one life to live, and I’m going to enjoy it.”

These are all fair arguments, but I can’t help but counter with the following points:

1. Lifestyle’s Contribution: Although we don’t have all of the answers, we sure do know enough to know that lifestyle choices play a huge role in our health. Research continues to tell us that “food is medicine.” What we eat and put into our bodies play a huge role in our risks for disease, and in our genetic predisposition for disease to manifest.
2. Better Safe than Sorry: If you KNOW certain behaviors are risky and can increase risk for certain diseases, why not choose options that lower your risks? Why choose behaviors that put you at greater risk?
3. Quality of Life: Let’s say you cheat the odds and for years, you smoke, eat unhealthily, are sedentary, and drink heavily. You may be lucky for a good portion of your life. But, at some point, more likely than not, your lifestyle choices will catch up with you and you will end up sick with some disease. And disease isn’t fun. Maybe you have a heart attack. Maybe you are overweight and are on numerous drugs to keep things in check. Maybe you don’t “feel well” on a regular basis. Maybe, dare I say, you get cancer and have to go through some awful treatment plan, which often causes other health issues. All of this leads to a lower quality of life – if not temporarily, permanently from the time you are diagnosed.
4. Taking Responsibility is a Small Price: Although many people will state that being healthy is a sacrifice, I can’t agree. It is a privilege. And taking care of ourselves in the here and now is a small price to pay for a healthy tomorrow.

At some point, holding ourselves accountable for our health is the best way to prevent disease. In Angelina Jolie’s case, maybe a double mastectomy will help drastically reduce her risks for breast cancer. I’m hopeful it will. That said, there are still, many other cancers and diseases she and many of us are susceptible to that can be prevented. And, starting with lifestyle choices is one of the best ways to take action, regardless of genetics.

What do you think about Angelina Jolie’s decision? How much are you willing to sacrifice for the benefit of your health? Do you see prevention and healthy lifestyle choices as “giving up” or “protecting” your life?”

The habit loop consists of a cue or trigger, a routine, and a reward. Duhigg provides a personal example where at 3:00 p.m. every day he would go to his cafeteria and buy a cookie. Over time, this ultimately led to his gaining weight. Curious about what was at the heart of the weight gain, he conducted a few experiments and realized that his cue was the time of day (3:00 p.m.), his routine was a trip to the cafeteria to purchase a cookie, and surprisingly, the reward was socialization with friends and colleagues—not the taste of the cookie itself. As a result, he saw an opportunity to change the overall habit by tweaking specific components of the habit loop. He decided to maintain the reward of socialization, while modifying the less healthy routine of purchasing and eating a cookie. At 3:00 p.m., instead of going to the cafeteria for a cookie, Duhigg started to find ways to socialize within his office environment and avoid the cafeteria altogether. He soon found his craving for the cookie had disappeared.

Changing a habit may not always be about changing the routine. It could involve changing or eliminating the cue or replacing an unhealthy reward with one that is healthier. In short, to stop or modify a bad or unwanted habit, you must understand the habit loop, and identify what part of it is creating unwanted results. You can then redesign it (or stop it all together) so that new, healthier habits can form.

If you are interested in turning a current bad habit into one that is better (or getting rid of it altogether), do the following:

1. 

   Source: A Whole New You

   Understand the Loop: Duhigg breaks up his habit loop into the following three components:

   • Cue: The signal that causes you to do the habit in the first place.
   • Routine: The action you take that ultimately leads to a reward.
   • Reward: What you receive that is pleasurable from the routine.
2. Identify the Cue, Routine, and Reward in Your Habit: In order to modify your habits or behaviors, find which part of the loop is causing unfavorable results. Modifying that part will create healthier habits. Examine your habit and identify the cue, routine, and reward.
3. Decide Which Part Needs to Change: Decide what part of the habit loop needs to be modified. Specifically, what part of the habit loop is causing unhealthy or unwanted results?
4. Identify Opportunities for Modification: Once you understand which part of the habit loop needs to change, come up with ways to modify it so you can reap healthier or more attractive results or outcomes.
5. Follow the Rewritten Loop: Finally, rewrite your loop so it acts as a guide that you can follow as you try make the change.

What habit are you hoping to change? Share which part of your habit loop is contributing to unfavorable results and how you hope to modify it for the better in the comment section below!

Learn more about making changes you want with A Whole New You: Six Steps to Ignite Change for Your Best Life.

Have a question you’d like me to answer? Ask here.

Welcome to the 52 Small Changes Web Series. This is where I take each weekly change I prescribe in the book - 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You, and discuss my personal favorite tips or suggestions on how I like to make the change a reality. I encourage you to share your favorite tips in the comment section so that others can learn from you and what works for you in your life and personal situation.

This week’s video is specific to Week 10: Take Time to Stretch. This is an important week in the book. Personally, I don’t like Yoga. And so, stretching is extremely important because I have to make a concerted, independent effort to do so. Yoga classes are great for stretching, but if you are anything like me, I get a lot out of the stretch, and not the Yoga. In this episode, I specifically address the kind of stretches you should try to do to release tension and stress from sitting at a computer all day. Our neck, our back and our chest all become severely hunched by the end of the day. Taking a break to stretch with these basic stretches, however, keeps you mindful of your posture and allows blood to flow through the areas that become congested from being locked into position all day.

As you know, I love comments and want to hear from you! So, share your thoughts at the bottom of this post.

If you like these tips, you can learn a lot more from the book. 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You, is an easy to follow, week-by-week guide to healthy change. Get it now at Amazon.com.

1. It is EXTREMELY Global: Earth Day is celebrated in more than 192 countries every year. To give some perspective, there are 193 members of the United Nations, and the US State Department recognizes 195 independent countries around the world.
2. It is Older than You Might Think: Although you might think Earth Day is a result of the recent environmental movement and can be attributed to recent events, its roots go back to 1970. The first one was proposed for March 21, 1970 at a 1969 UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. However, a month later, a separate Earth Day was founded by US Senator Gaylord Nelson as a teach-in on April 22, 1970.
3. Long-Term Leadership: Denis Hayes, founder of the Earth Day Network and the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international 20 years later in 1990, organizing events in 141 nations. Denis Hayes still remains involved as a guiding force, acting as the Board Chair on the Board of Directors of the Earth Day Network.
4. EDN Initiatives REALLY ARE Impactful: Although many celebrate Earth Day one day a year, the Earth Day Network’s initiatives go way beyond the day. They work on programs to green schools and promote environmental education, create global conferences that engage civil society, corporate, and government leaders on the importance of new and sustainable energies, and accelerate and promote environmental programs to help green the planet.
5. Earth Day has its own Anthem: Earth Day has an anthem set to the tune of Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” Feeling a little inspired to sing the anthem? Here are the words:

Joyful joyful we adore our Earth in all its wonderment
Simple gifts of nature that all join into a paradise
Now we must resolve to protect her
Show her our love throughout all time
With our gentle hand and touch
We make our home a newborn world
Now we must resolve to protect her
Show her our love throughout all time
With our gentle hand and touch
We make our home a newborn world

Are you celebrating Earth Day?

The bombings caused a whole host of memories to come flooding back and I found myself reliving the confusion, the concern, the sadness, and of course, the fear, all over again. Yet, this time they took on a whole new level of meaning and significance: I’m 37 weeks pregnant.

12 years ago, as a single woman in her late 20s, my mind jumped to my parents’, my friends’, and of course, my own safety. But today, only three weeks away from my due date, it is difficult not to ask: What will this mean for my child? What will this mean for the future of my family? Is it irresponsible to bring a precious, innocent life into the chaos and craziness of the world today? What if my child, one day, has the terrible fate of Martin Richard, the 8-year old boy who lost his life during yesterday’s bombings?

I’m sure these questions run through the minds of other new moms-to-be. How could they not? The world continues to get scarier with so many questions unanswered. How can any parent not feel the fear that stems from all we’ve been experiencing in the last several years? So much sadness, random acts of terror and inexplicable violence. Doesn’t it seem that bringing new life into this world is irrational?

As I ponder these questions, however, I constantly remind myself of this very simple and important principle: You can either live out of fear, running away from experiences, missing out on life’s wonders, or you can live bravely, running towards all that life has to offer, allowing yourself to experience joy, love, and happiness, and other amazing things.

As I’ve discussed before, fear is debilitating. It keeps us from living life. It keeps us from doing new things. It keeps us from taking risks. It keeps us from enjoying new experiences. And it keeps us stagnant, never moving forward with our goals and our hopes for the future.

Life is filled with unknowns. But fear negates our ability to see and experience all of the wondrous unknowns that are good. In truth, for every bad experience there are likely hundreds, if not thousands of good ones.

If you feel doubtful, scared or fearful, try to remind yourself of the times you pushed fear aside and came out on the other end better for it. Remind yourself of the the thrill and the excitement that came with taking the risk. Relive the happiness and the joy you experienced. That is living. That is why we are here. That is what life is about and why we get up every morning.

Over the next few weeks, as I wait for our impending arrival, I will continue to remind myself of these important truths and hold onto the idea that life is good. I will continue to dream about the future of our family. I will continue to relish in the joy to come. And as hard as it may be at this time, I ask you to join me.

It is the positive spirit that makes life meaningful and good. Don’t let anyone or anything rob you of that simple pleasure.

Are you ready to tackle your fears? Let A Whole New You: Six Steps to Ignite Change for Your Best Life be your guide.

This week’s video is specific to Week 9: Enjoy Time Alone. This is one of my favorite weeks in the book. Personally, I love spending time alone. It gives me time to think and really reflect on things that are going on in my life. It is amazing how much we can learn about ourselves when we get away from other people and force ourselves to think about the things we need to think about, or relax doing what we love doing. In this episode, I discuss the benefits of spending time alone and share a poll on Facebook that reveals what you, my readers, enjoy the most when you spend time alone.

As you know, I love comments and want to hear from you! So, share your thoughts at the bottom of this post.

If you like these tips, you can learn a lot more from the book. 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You, is an easy to follow, week-by-week guide to healthy change. Get it now at Amazon.com.

Nectresse, however, is touted as a “100% natural no calorie sweetener” that is a “combination of deliciously sweet Monk Fruit Extract blended with other natural sweeteners (erythritol, sugar and molasses) to bring you the rich sweet taste of sugar without all the calories.”

Sigh.

Although the claims sound good, I once again am going to have to say, “No, thank you.” Here’s why:

1. Natural: The term “natural” is so overused today. In actuality, there are no regulations around the term “natural” and as a result, what may be called “natural” is questionable at best. If you are looking for foods that are seriously “natural,” I’d urge you to instead focus on the term “whole food.” And, ask yourself these questions: Are you going to find this product in nature…by itself…without any human interference? No. Can you go out and cultivate it on your own? No. Was the food’s name commonly understood and recognizable for centuries, or were clever marketers’ minds at work creating an innovative and attractive name? As soon as a food product is manufactured by man in a plant (not just packaged), it makes the product seem much more artificial than natural to me.
2. Erythritol: Erythritol is a sugar alcohol used as a food additive. Many sugar alcohols cause digestion issues, however, erythritol is said to be less likely to cause gastric side effects than other sugar alcohols. Although it is found in some fruit and fermented foods, the erythritol found in any packaged product is produced at an industrial level (manufactured) from glucose by fermentation with yeast.
3. Cheating the Odds: When you consume foods that are “zero calorie,” you are essentially tricking your body. It thinks it hasn’t consumed food, thus, causing you to remain hungry. Zero-calorie sweeteners aren’t feeding you nutrients, but rather, causing your body to look for nutrients it isn’t receiving. The result? You eat more, or at the very least, don’t feel satiated and become hungry soon after consuming the zero-calorie food.

I remain steady when I recommend that if you want something sweet, have a piece of fruit, drink a small glass of 100% fruit juice, or if you are really hankering, indulge in a small amount of food with real natural sugar, such as honey or maple syrup or pure cane sugar.

Have you tried Nectresse? What are your thoughts?

This week’s video is specific to Week 8: Eat Your Vegetables. Optimally, you want to get in four to six servings of vegetables into your diet each day. In this episode, I discuss my favorite way to get in a healthy dose of three servings of vegetables in one sitting: a veggie smoothie. In short, you can put almost any vegetable into a veggie smoothie, and you can even add fruit if you want to ease the “bitterness” you might find with an all veggie smoothie. What I love about this approach is that you not only get tons of vitamins and minerals, but you also get a ton of fiber. Here is a recipe for a Kale Smoothie. If you find Kale to be a bit too bitter, substitute with spinach.

As you know, I love comments and want to hear from you! So, share your thoughts at the bottom of this post.

If you like these tips, you can learn a lot more from the book. 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You, is an easy to follow, week-by-week guide to healthy change. Get it now at Amazon.com.

How many people do you know (yourself included) either say they want to change or begin to change something about themselves and never get past those words?

Change is easier said than done, and there are many reasons we don’t get past the first step. The first and biggest roadblock to change that can occur is a lack of deep, genuine interest in the change. Before we even begin to make any kind of significant change, we must ask ourselves: “Do I really want this?”

At a Professional Women’s Network event in Connecticut and I flatly told the audience, “If you don’t want to make a change, please don’t make it.” Why would someone say they want to change if they don’t really want it? Because many of us do things for reasons that have nothing to do with what we really want. Many of us feel pressure to make changes that are predicated on what others want for us. For instance, the smoker who quits because their family pressures them to do so, yet deep down they love the habit and don’t want to give it up. Or the man who is told he needs to lose 100 pounds to lower his blood pressure and risk for heart disease, but emotionally, he doesn’t really care. When we don’t really want to make a change, our chances of success plummet. And if we fail at making the change, we eat away at our self-esteem and self-confidence, potentially hurting our chances of making changes down the road.

And so, asking yourself “Do I really want this?” is the first and most important step in beginning any change.

If your response to this question involves “shoulds,” guilt or reasons that go beyond yourself, you are setting yourself up for possible failure. If, however, you feel a sincere passion driving you towards making the change, you are likely setting yourself up for success from the beginning.

The first Principle of Change I outline in A Whole New You: Six Steps to Ignite Change for Your Best Life discusses that verbalized discontent about a situation may get you thinking about a change, but passion is key to making it happen.

Discontent + Passion DRIVE Change.

Learn more about igniting passion within to make the change you want with A Whole New You: Six Steps to Ignite Change for Your Best Life.

Have a question you’d like me to answer? Ask here.

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If you’ve read (or been reading) A Whole New You: Six Steps to Ignite Change for Your Best Life, you may recognize the names Chip and Dan Heath. I’ve referenced their book Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard in discussing the importance of engaging our emotional side in making change. We have to WANT to make the changes we look to make, and be emotionally  connected to them in order to make them really happen.

Yesterday (March 26th), the Heath brothers released their latest book – Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work. As I’ve, discussed, indecision is crippling and prevents us from moving forward with our goals and the changes we want to make, and impacts our ability to find happiness. I’m thrilled the Heath Brothers have shared an excerpt of the book so you could get a glimpse of what’s inside. What I love about this excerpt is that it speaks to the fact that we so often fall into the trap of a black or white mentality. They encourage us to go beyond and see the gray:

Psychologists say that we tend to get caught in a narrow frame when we make decisions, often limiting ourselves to a “whether or not” choice: e.g., I’m debating whether or not I should buy this fancy pair of shoes. This is a trap: We focus so hard on the single option we’re considering that we blind ourselves to the other options that may be available.

Consider the corporation Quaker, for instance. In 1994, Quaker’s executives got excited about the promise of Snapple and acquired the company for a whopping $1.8 billion. Unfortunately, they had severely underestimated the difficulties of incorporating Snapple’s teas and juices into the company’s manufacturing and distribution systems. (Not to mention the questionable brand synergy between wholesome Quaker and quirky Snapple.) Three years later, they sold off Snapple in a hurry for $300 million.

They’d been caught in a narrow frame, considering “whether or not” to buy Snapple. What if they’d considered 2 other potential acquisitions at the same time? Or considered pouring $1.8 billion into their own R&D and marketing? Or buying 100 small regional brands for $18 million each? Chances are they could have avoided a history-making loss.

In Decisive, we lay out four basic ways to fight narrow framing: Here are the first two:

1. Consider opportunity cost. If you are considering an investment of time or money, ask yourself, “What is the next best way I could spend this time/money?” Make sure to consider other domains; if you’re considering an expensive set of speakers, don’t just consider a cheaper set of speakers. Ask yourself whether you might be happier spending the money on a weekend getaway, or whether you might be happier with a used set of speakers from Craigslist plus a fancy dinner with your partner. If you can’t come up with any other combination that seems enticing, you should feel more confident that you’re making the right investment.

2. Multitrack your options. As Steve Cole says in the first chapter, always try to think AND not OR. Can you avoid choosing among your options and try several at once? For instance, if you’re deciding whether to invest time in Spanish lessons or ballroom dancing classes, do both for a while until one of them “wins.” Or, rather than hire one employee out of three candidates, could you give all three a 2-week consulting project so that you can compare their work on a real-world assignment?

In the book (Amazon.com) we go deeper into both of these concepts and we also unpack two other ways to fight narrow framing, including the notion of a “Vanishing Options Test.” (We also tell a longer and more horrifying version of the Quaker/Snapple story.)

Indecision doesn’t have to debilitate your efforts to change. I have no doubt that the Heath Brothers’ Decisive will help you improve your decision making capabilities and look forward to enjoying my own copy!

When it comes to buying for you and your family, I can’t emphasize enough that you look for organic options that are Non-GMO and hormone free. That is a good place to start. Then, my next piece of advice is to avoid packaged products as much as possible. Why? Because packaged products are where so many bad ingredients linger. Everything from artificial sweeteners to chemicals plague our grocery store shelves. Although the time to prepare a meal or a snack from scratch may be a little longer, think of it as an investment in your health and your future. If you do not take the time and pay the extra cost now, there is a strong chance you will be paying for it later with medical bills and potentially, a shortened life span.

If you have the time, watch the video below, as it does offer some interesting insights. Some of it, I do believe, may be over-dramatized, but I prefer to air on the side of caution and do what is best for me and my family’s health.

This week’s video is specific to Week 7: Keep the Outside Out. Keeping the Outside out means taking action to eliminate pollutants and allergens from the outside from entering your home. In this episode, I share tips in dealing with smaller spaces, as well as information and my thoughts about the Neti Pot. The Neti Pot is a fantastic way to keep pollutants and allergens from entering your nose and respiratory system.

As you know, I love comments and want to hear from you! So, share your thoughts at the bottom of this post.

If you like these tips, you can learn a lot more from the book. 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You, is an easy to follow, week-by-week guide to healthy change. Get it now at Amazon.com.

1. Stick with Smaller and Younger: In general, older and bigger fish tend to have higher levels of contaminants, as they spend more time in polluted waters. Typically, these fish include wild striped bass, shark, swordfish, king mackeral and bluefin and ahi tuna. It is best to avoid these fish as much as possible. The safest fish tends to be wild Alaskan salmon, mahi-mahi, halibut, sole, canned LIGHT tuna (not solid albacore) and many shellfish (shrimp, clams, oysters and Mussels).
2. Diversify: Diversify your intake by eating many types of fish, and focusing on consuming fish and shellfish that are smaller, and less likely to contain contaminants. Be aware that there are several varieties of some types of fish, with some having fewer contaminants than others. For instance, white albacore tuna is much higher in PCBs than canned light tuna.
3. Rely on the Authorities: Since eating seafood provides so many healthful benefits, it’s important to get it into your diet. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) publish data on all types of seafood, their contaminant levels and recommendations on the frequency with which you should consume different varieties. Also, check local advisories regularly for updates on fish and watersheds that may be contaminated in your area or places you fish. Since pollution levels in our waters can change, check both websites for the most up-to-date data.
4. Dining Out: When dining out, ask the waiter or waitress where their seafood comes from. If, for instance, they have salmon on the menu, ask if it is wild Alaskan, farmed or wild from Washington. If it is farmed or from Washington, you know it is less preferable.
5. Skin and Bones: Many contaminants reside in the skin and surface fat of fish. Remove these prior to cooking, and if you eat out at a restaurant, remove skin and bones before eating to minimize exposure.
6. Pregnant Women and Children: Children and pregnant women do not need to avoid fish all together. As a matter of fact, there is strong evidence that fish can be instrumental in fetus and child development, and that the benefits outweigh the risks. However, pregnant women, nursing mothers and children are advised to completely avoid eating fish that have high levels of mercury, as well as any uncooked or raw fish. Consult your doctor or pediatrician for further input.

Adapted from 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You, If you like these tips, you can learn a lot more from the book. 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You, is an easy to follow, week-by-week guide to healthy change. Get it now at Amazon.com.

Question: Is it normal to feel like you are on a roller coaster as you complete the “Self-Discovery” section of A Whole New You: Six Steps to Ignite Change for Your Best Life? And what should I do with these feelings?

- Chad from Illinois, USA

The self-discovery portion of A Whole New You is, most definitely, emotional. There’s a good chance you are unearthing some things that may have been buried deep for a long time. If you didn’t feel any emotions, I’d actually be concerned.

If you are uncovering painful memories, difficult realizations, or simply come to realize that you have been living an unauthentic life that isn’t true to who you are, it can be very emotional. Personally, I’ve gone through this, and I know many others who have as well.

Let’s say you have been working in a career that you thought you “should” be in for 10, 15, or even 20 years. You may be very successful and making good money. If you come to realize the work you are doing, however, isn’t what you really want, and instead, is a manifestation of what others expected of you, it can be frustrating and cause you to feel a whole range of emotions. You might feel angry or disappointed. You may feel sad for yourself, thinking you lost precious time that could have put towards higher and more rewarding purpose.

Or, let’s say you have been in a relationship that you feel is unrewarding and has left you feeling empty for years. Maybe you’ve spent 10 to 20 years in a marriage that you now realize has been wrong for you. Again, you might feel saddened by the loss of time or opportunities that you perceive you’ve missed. This is totally natural.

These feelings, however, are exactly what will help you make the transformation you desire. Uncovering the feelings, thoughts or emotions you’ve been hiding for so long is exactly what will allow you to start creating the life that you are really meant to live and a life that you can get excited by, each and every day. The knowledge you are acquiring, although difficult, is what will give you the clarity and a better sense of self to move forward in an authentic way. This will keep you motivated.

To get through some of the pain, remember this: life is a journey. If it was straight and narrow, we would get very bored. Believe in a little bit of “what is meant to be will be” and “everything happens for a reason.” Often, some of our mistakes and failures, or misguided experiences are important lessons for our future. They are what make us smarter and stronger for the long term. Capitalize on what you’ve LEARNED from these experiences and use them in building a better and happier future.
Find out more about how to navigate your own personal transformation in A Whole New You: Six Steps to Ignite Change for Your Best Life.

Have a question you’d like me to answer? Ask here.

This week’s video is specific to Week 6: Take a Multivitamin. Multivitamins are much like a dietary insurance policy, ensuring you get all the vitamins and minerals you need each day. In this episode, I share tips in choosing a good multivitamin, as well as my favorite brand and where to find information on other brands.

Each of us is unique and what one person needs might not be what another person needs when it comes to nutrition. As a result, I also discuss options for you if you want a more customized and targeted approach to getting the vitamins and minerals your body specifically needs.

As you know, I love comments and want to hear from you! So, share how you stay positive and what you struggle with at the end of this post.

If you like these tips, you can learn a lot more from the book. 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You, is an easy to follow, week-by-week guide to healthy change. Get it now at Amazon.com.