The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our routines drastically and is challenging us as a community and individually each day. Many of you are experiencing emotions in waves, feeling okay one moment and then frustrated, sad or distraught the next. You are not alone in these feelings of uncertainty. Unsure where to start in how to manage these feelings? Please enjoy this article published by Harvard Business Review, where the author, Scott Berinato, explains the concept of anticipatory grief, and steps for how to begin working through it.

Please click on the photo to the right to view the article.

Stay well!

Anna Schwartz, MS, RDN

That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief

By, Scott Berinato

Want to increase your mindfulness practice and move your body through this ‘stay in place’ time? Yoga is a great way to start or finish your day. Move along with this 22-minute beginner yoga class taught by our certified yoga sculpt instructor, Anna.

All you need is some time and space, and give yourself the gift of self care. Namaste.

Stay well!

Paramount Health Directions and Anna Schwartz do not own the rights to the music utilized in this video.

Our bodies carry more stress than we may realize. Some people carry stress in their neck, while others carry it in their back or hips, or other areas of their body. Regardless of where your stress manifests, it is important to manage it regularly, especially through this challenging time of the COVID-19 pandemic. We invite you to take nine minutes of your day to listen to this body scan meditation, to help notice where you may be holding tension, and then focus on releasing it through utilizing your breath. This meditation is best listened to with headphones.

Stay Well!

Anna Schwartz, MS, RDN

Body Scan Script adapted from the following source:

Mirgain, Shilagh. “A Body Scan Script - Whole Health for Pain and Suffering: An Integrative Approach .” VHA / Office of Patient Centered Care & Cultural Transformation, Sept. 2016.

We, at Paramount Heath Directions, are here for you through this challenging time during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is amazing how quickly things can change in our lives and routines in what seems like an overnight shift. Paramount Health is committed to supporting and supplying you, as our patients, with the most up-to-date information to help you through this process. One critical, but challenging action in this unsettling time is social distancing. What do we do during this time to keep heathy habits and support our physical and emotional health? Here are the facts from Paramount Health Directions about social distancing.

What is social distancing?

• Social distancing is avoiding group activities or spending time with those who live outside of your home. Due to the critical nature of COVID-19, it is recommended that unless you live with someone, you should not see them in-person until the social distancing rule is removed. If you must go out in public, maintaining a six-foot distance between you and others will help to reduce the spread. Read more about social distancing here.

• It is important that even though you may feel healthy, you need to continue to maintain social distancing, as you can be asymptomatic for up to 14 days while carrying the virus and could pass it on to others.

What is ‘stay in place’?

• Stay in place means only leaving your house for essential tasks such as getting groceries or medications, or going to work if you are an essential employee, such as a health care worker or grocery team-member. On March 26, 2020 a mandated ‘stay in place’ order was put into effect by Governor Polis. You can read more about the details here.

What do I do with my new-found time?

• Start with making a list of things you want to do, or things you would do if you had the time that can promote emotional and physical health. Ask yourself what healthy habit activities you would like to promote in your life. Not sure where to start? Here are some ideas:

• Read or listen to a book

• Listen to some podcasts

• Learn a new skill, such as guitar or ballroom dancing (utilize videos and tutorials on YouTube that give step-by-step instruction)

• Go for a walk each day or build a new exercise routine

• Have game nights with your family

• Stay connected with your friends and family through FaceTime, Google Hangouts, Skype, or other video calling programs

This season of life is uncertain and scary. However, even in the uncertainty…

This too shall pass.

We will make it through this, and our team at Paramount is committed to maintaining support for you in this time of stress.

Need more resources? Here are credible sources for COVID-19 information:

1. Center for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

2. The World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

3. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment: https://covid19.colorado.gov/ 

Stay well!

Anna Schwartz, MS, RDN

March is National Nutrition Month and Paramount Health Directions knows how important eating well is for mental and emotional health. Small changes in your nutritional lifestyle can make a big difference in your overall well-being over time. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ theme this year is “Eat Right, Bite by Bite”, incorporating mindful eating tactics through the month of March, and hopefully carrying them through the rest of the year. Mindful eating can even start before sitting down to eat a meal, beginning with the preparation. Utilize the tips below to promote a mindfulness focus this March!

• Have fun with meal planning this month and pick one new recipe you haven’t tried before to have each week

• Eat a meal before going grocery shopping, or don’t go to the store hungry, as you are more likely to have impulse buys when you shop on an empty stomach

• Slow down when eating to aid in digestion and mindful eating tactics, by taking 15 minutes to eat a meal instead of five minutes

• Use your senses while eating : what does the meal look like, smell like, taste like, etc. and enjoy it with family and friends as social interaction

• Pay attention to the colors of the foods you eat, and focus on eating a variety of colors through the day to find balance in your vitamin and mineral intake

Overall, being mindful with eating is simply being present in the process of preparing and consuming food instead of eating passively. Start by implementing one mindful tactic each week and by the end of the month, you will have four new mindful practices as a part of your wellness routine. Want more information about national nutrition month? Visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website for more tips and tricks.

https://www.eatrightpro.org/news-center/member-updates/events-and-deadlines/national-nutrition-month-2020-theme-graphic

Happy Wellness!

Anna Schwartz, MS, RDN