“5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Can Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing” with Cassandra Hill – Thrive Global

Take the stairs and ditch the elevator. Everyone knows exercise is important but rarely incorporate working out into their routine. This simple lifestyle hack can help you take the first step towards healthy living.

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As a part of my series about “5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Cassandra Hill. Cassandra is a Certified Wellness Coach & Aging Expert. Her Business, Holistic Living Consulting LLC, provides virtual wellness coaching to women. Additionally, Cassandra is a professional speaker and author of He Restoreth My Soul Triumph through Adversity.

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Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the story about how you first got involved in fitness and wellness?

In2014 I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus. After being dissatisfied with traditional medicine I began taking courses in health & wellness. After a short time, I developed a regimen that put me into remission with Systemic Lupus.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

Since entering the health & wellness industry there have been lots of exciting stories. The most interesting story so far has been being featured on television sharing my journey of health on NBC, FOX, & CBS.

Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting?

No one is perfect especially when you are a newbie. The funniest thing that’s happened in business has been setting up video call incorrectly and repeatedly hanging up on someone.

What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?

Hire an expert for things outside your expertise.

Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority in the fitness and wellness field?

Gaining academic knowledge about living healthy is good. What’s great is when a person knows how to apply that knowledge to the real world. Living healthy has become a way of life it’s what I eat, drink and breathe.

In your opinion, what is your unique contribution to the world of wellness?

One of the things that set me apart from others in the industry is my passion. Since I have overcome the horrible effects of unhealthy living my mission is to help others get their life back.

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are?

My parents instilled values and beliefs that have been instrumental to my success.

Can you share a story about that?

As an undergraduate student I was having problems and ready to drop out of college. After calling home and talking to my parents I had the confidence to preserve and the tools to be successful.

Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. We all know it’s important to eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, exercise more, and get better sleep etc. But while we know it intellectually, it’s often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion what are the 3 main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives?

3 Things Blocking Wellness

• Self- Sabotaging Thoughts
• Poor Time Management Skills
• Lack of Self-Love

Can you please share your “5 Non-Intuitive Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing”? (Please share a story or an example for each, and feel free to share ideas for mental, emotional and physical health.)

1. Take the stairs and ditch the elevator. Everyone knows exercise is important but rarely incorporate working out into their routine. This simple lifestyle hack can help you take the first step towards healthy living.
2. Living in this fast-paced world has caused many people to rely heavily on technology. The next time you are traveling purchase a map to help you reach your destination instead of using GPS. Your brain will release neurotransmitters that spark growth of brain cells. Remember use it or lose it!
3. Practice positive affirmations for at least ten minutes a day. Look at the image in the mirror and say I am beautiful and brilliant. My life take priority. Beginning your day with positivity will allow you to handle the bumps and bruises with grace.
4. For one week at least every three months detox your body. Detoxing will rid your body of the harmful food, drink, and chemicals that’s destroying your health. When I completed my first detox my energy increased, and my health improved significantly.
5. For those who are ready to change the game this hack will start a paradigm shift. Take a probiotic daily preferably one with live microorganisms. A former client began taking a probiotic that I recommended, and their gut issues disappeared within days. For those who aren’t experiencing gut issues you can expect more energy and weight loss from the body cleansing itself.

As an expert, this might be obvious to you, but I think it would be instructive to articulate this for the public. Aside from weight loss, what are 3 benefits of daily exercise? Can you explain?

1. Mood Improvement Regular exercise releases feel good endorphins, natural cannabis like brain chemicals.
2. Brain Health Frequent aerobic exercise the kind that gets your heart racing and sweat glands going boost the size of the hippocampus (area of the brain responsible for verbal memory and learning)
3. Flexibility Activities that lengthen and stretch your muscles can help you in avoiding injuries, back pain, and balance problems.

For someone who is looking to add exercise to their daily routine, which 3 exercises would you recommend that are absolutely critical?

• Aerobic exercise demands pumping of oxygenated blood by the heart to deliver oxygen to working muscles. This form of exercise can decrease the risk of developing cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Examples of aerobic exercise include walking, swimming, and kickboxing.
• Strength training isn’t just for the athletes. Making your muscles stronger will help in completing routine tasks like climbing stairs or carrying groceries. Lift weights or use a resistance band to gain more strength.
• Everyone has heard the phrase use it or lose it. Putting this into practice requires you to stretch your muscles and keep your body limber. Highly recommend yoga not only for benefits of increased range of motion but also for emotional stability.

In my experience, many people begin an exercise regimen but stop because they get too sore afterwards. What ideas would you recommend to someone who plays sports or does heavy exercise to shorten the recovery time, and to prevent short term or long-term injury?

Let’s be proactive and prevent injuries with the following activities:

• Take one day off per week to allow the body time to recover
• Protective equipment Wearing equipment correctly can save your knees, hands, teeth, and head. Never engage in sports without safety gear.
• Stay hydrated Drink lots of fluids before, during, and after heavy exercise or sports.

Speed up healing time from injuries:

• Yoga therapy
• Deep Blue Rub (Topical cream)
• Glucosamine & MSM can help regenerate tissue and cartilage
• Vitamin C primary player in forming collagen that forms tendons and ligaments

There are so many different diets today. Can you share what kind of diet you follow? Which diet do you recommend to most of your clients?

My philosophy on dieting is diets don’t work! Since this is my premise, I recommend lifestyle changes to my clients. Most people don’t stick with diets because it requires them to give up things that they are unwilling to do on a long-term basis. When a person makes a lifestyle change it’s a permanent commitment.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Reading has been a hobby since childhood.

There are several books that have impacted my life however the book that has transformed my life is the Bible.

Can you share a story?

The Book of Job greatly inspired me to pick up the pieces after facing several losses and obstacles in my life. Job lost everything he owned and still was able to maintain his faith.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

Our world has increasingly become more and more dependent of social media. There are many benefits to this, but one disadvantage is more and more people are becoming lonely. According to the National Institute of Mental Health suicide was the tenth leading cause of death in 2017. Everyone deserves to feel loved. Let’s create a movement where everyday people actually make an effort to spread love either through direct communication or through social media using #youareloved.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

James 1:19 Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath

Growing up my Dad often quoted this verse to me. Oftentimes we are in a hurry to talk but that often leads to trouble. Be patient and truly listen then and only then give a response. This was a struggle for me in my younger years now that I have learned the importance of listening it’s a treat for people to come share their life with me and allow me the opportunity to aid in their healing.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂

Michelle Obama She came from humble beginnings however didn’t allow the obstacles to deter her from destiny. Her story is a reminder that the road won’t always be easy but definitely worth it if you stay focused.

What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media? www.facebook.com/livehealthyforlife www.twitter.com/CassandraHill80 www.pinterest.com/cassandrah2415

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!