Minimal Wellness

Minimal Wellness

Simple. Optimal. Health.

Gluten

By Rebecca Shern · Follow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

For the past decade, gluten has been one of the most polarizing topics in the health and food worlds. Many health practitioners are only now beginning to recognize and validate the spectrum of symptoms and diseases associated with gluten. At the same time, many people working in the restaurant industry continue to view the consumer demand for gluten-free foods as an annoying fad that will pass. However, the trend has not passed and diagnosis of gluten-related issues continues to rise. Why?

Read on »

Seasonal Affective Disorder

By Rebecca Shern · Follow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

It’s fall in Montana and the next 6 months will be relatively cold and dark — the time of year when something called seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can surface. The constellation of SAD symptoms which range from irritability, lethargy, and oversleeping, to depression can be combatted in many ways. Standard treatment includes light therapy, talk therapy, and medication, but for those with mild SAD or the occasional “winter blues” — such as myself — a few nutrition and lifestyle tweaks can improve winter outlook.

Read on »

Gratitude

By Rebecca Shern · Follow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

In the aftermath of my divorce and work-related woes, I read a book called The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living which detailed the importance of gratitude in living a happy, less-stressed life. Although this was not the first time I’d read or heard about the role gratitude plays in a positive outlook, the author did an excellent job of laying out the scientific rationale for practicing gratitude. Since then, I’ve been conscious — especially during potentially challenging times — of being grateful for this astonishing life.

Read on »

interview

Interview with The Elementarist

By Rebecca Shern · Follow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Recently, I connected with Fabian and Veronika, who run a minimalist magazine called The Elementarist. They asked to do an interview with me as part of a series highlighting how different people apply minimalism in their lives and work. Because I haven’t talked explicitly about minimalism in a post on Minimal Wellness yet, I thought it would be nice to cross-post the interview. I recommend checking out the beautifully formatted version of the interview on their site.

Read on »

Travel

By Rebecca Shern · Follow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Travel is a beautiful opportunity to experience a different reality, to challenge what you truly need, and to inject life with some uncertainty. Being away from home is also a classic roadblock for people in terms of living a healthy lifestyle, but it needn’t be.

Read on »

time, timing

Meal Timing

By Rebecca Shern · Follow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Traditional nutrition advice includes statements such as “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” and “as long as you don’t over-consume calories, it doesn’t matter when you eat”. Unfortunately, both of these long-standing beliefs are flawed. The latest iteration of the US Dietary Guidelines no longer explicitly encourages breakfast consumption, as the vast majority of the science supporting eating breakfast as a weight-management tool has been de-bunked. And it turns out that meal timing does have an impact on overall health.

Read on »

Looking Good

By Rebecca Shern · Follow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

A few weeks ago a reader asked me if I would consider writing about minimalist beauty routines because there are so many confusing products on the market. The request was humorous as I’m one of the least qualified people to talk about the best or most “minimal” beauty products. However, the request intrigued me and as I pondered my response, a few things became clear.

Read on »

Vitamin O(utside)

By Rebecca Shern · Follow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

There is something magical about being outside, surrounded by nature — grass, rocks, trees, water, wildlife, dirt, fresh air. The natural world has the ability to calm, center, and clear our minds on our most scattered days. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to spend many cumulative months immersed in nature, camping, backpacking, boating, hiking, and exploring. For me, those adventures coupled with emerging research, have illuminated the transformational power of being outside.

Read on »