Sleep is so important! Although the amount of sleep required varies person to person, lack of sleep is linked to increased stress, burnout and can also cause cardiovascular disease over time. There are only a few (1-3% of the population) that are part of the ‘sleepless elite’: those that only require 5-6 hours and are able to function with continued high performance.

We all know a healthy diet is what we are supposed to practice. More than a century ago the United States Department of Agriculture began its healthy eating habits journey as a way to inspire people to think about what they consume and explore healthy habits. Familiar to many is the Food Guide Pyramid, recently changed twice since 2005 to represent the constant scientific studies changing what healthy eating habits look and taste like.

As the second position in M.E.D.S., EXERCISE may seem the most attainable, but can be one of the most difficult to sustain.  Exercise must challenge you in order to make an impact. A workout is just that: WORK. This doesn't have to mean forking over hundreds of dollars for a crazy-intense program. It simply means adding physical activity to your daily/weekly routine that was not previously there.  And, that can be difficult. You must work past your comfort zone, and here is where many of us fall short. Our own Shey P. describes how she still needs that beginning push to get her through her new program: