{"id":380,"date":"2020-06-03T21:43:53","date_gmt":"2020-06-03T21:43:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stlouisstompers.com\/?p=380"},"modified":"2023-09-12T23:09:22","modified_gmt":"2023-09-12T23:09:22","slug":"dr-jennifer-ashton-self-care-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/03\/dr-jennifer-ashton-self-care-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Jennifer Ashton: Self-Care Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Dr.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Jennifer Ashton
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\nPhotographer: Michael Benabib<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Dr. Jennifer Ashton, chief medical correspondent
at ABC World News, shares tips to make
well-being attainable<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
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When it comes to the word \u201cwell-being,\u201d a yoga class, soothing spa treatment or walk in nature may come to mind. For Dr. Jennifer Ashton, the chief medical correspondent at ABC World News, self-care equals well-being. In fact, she sees them as interchangeable. \u201cWhen you have well-being, you\u2019re practicing self-care,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

As a solo parent with a high-profile job, a thriving medical practice and demanding travel schedule, Dr. Ashton is the first to admit that carving out time to practice self-care isn\u2019t always easy. For her, \u201cit is about the little things, like drinking more water or adding different types of stretching,\u201d which are easy to integrate into one\u2019s lifestyle to improve well-being.<\/p>\n

One of Dr. Ashton\u2019s favorite wellness practices is a cardio workout, but she also knows it is important to be kind to yourself if sticking to a particular routine is hard. \u201cI\u2019m a big believer that things in wellness should be done in moderation. You have to be flexible and can\u2019t expect or require perfection,\u201d she explains.<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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For the most part, Dr. Ashton\u2019s well-being practices were a style of living until early in the year of 2017 when she divorced her physician husband of 21 years. Things seemed to be going well with co-parenting their two teenage children when the unthinkable happened. Eighteen days after the divorce, detectives arrived at Ashton\u2019s New Jersey home delivering horrific news. Her ex-husband had died after jumping off the George Washington Bridge. \u201cIt shattered my world,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

In Dr. Ashton\u2019s powerful book, Life After Suicide, she writes that she also blamed herself for the tragedy. During the days and months following, she did everything she could to support her children\u2019s healing. And she never took time out for her own well-being<\/a>, because she thought it would be selfish to make herself a priority.<\/p>\n

However, in December of that same year, Ashton knew she needed to help herself as well. \u201cI was coming out of the worst year of my life. Healing a tragedy makes people introspective, and it was out of that I decided to experiment with myself,\u201d she reflects.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ashton\u2019s first experiment came in the form of \u201cDry January\u201d: no alcohol for the month. To her surprise, the results were stunning. Not only did she feel reinvigorated, she felt a significant and positive impact on her mind, body, mood and attitude. When January came to an end, Ashton decided to extend the dry days into part of February because she felt so good, physically and mentally. She writes in her recent best-selling book, The Self-Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier, and Fitter\u2014One Month at a Time, that she continued the challenge because she became
\u201chooked on the idea and practice of challenging myself to be healthier.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a practicing OB\/GYN and nutritionist, Ashton says she also took on this self-experiment because she tells her patients to practice healthy habits. \u201cI wanted to use myself as the experiment and do the things I\u2019d ask someone else to do, and see if I would feel any different doing them,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n

In February, Ashton decided to take on \u201canother bite-size goal to target.\u201d After carefully considering various options for her second goal, Ashton decided upon the challenge of push-ups and planks because not only would it produce quick visible results if \u201conly done for minutes,\u201d but they could be done anywhere.<\/p>\n

Dr. Ashton\u2019s self-experiment continued through the calendar year as she focused on 12 separate challenges, one for each month. She writes about her year-long journey in The Self-Care Solution<\/a>, where she is both researcher and subject as she guides the reader through each challenge. The book brims with anecdotes about how Dr. Ashton integrated the self-care goals into her daily routines, and the science behind each one. Some days were more successful than others. Ashton says the only month she completed with 100 percent success was January. And it is these imperfections that make her approach realistic and approachable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"The<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Self-Care<\/a> Success<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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Like any well-being journey, challenges happen, and sometimes it is difficult to stay motivated. While carving out time and energy for a new or improved
well-being habit may appear to be overwhelming, it can ultimately make a huge difference. Dr. Ashton reflects, \u201cI\u2019ve got a lot of balls in the air, and I can\u2019t do those things when I\u2019m not healthy.\u201d <\/p>\n

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Here are some of her tips to help you stick with a well-being goal.<\/p>\n

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TRY A CALENDAR<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve struggled with sticking to a healthy habit, like Ashton did at times, she suggests using a calendar to track progress: \u201cIt is a good way to hold yourself accountable and recognize the accomplishments.\u201d<\/p>\n

CHOOSE ONE THING<\/strong><\/p>\n

Instead of trying various well-being activities, be choosy and select one thing that you enjoy that you can do the same way each day.<\/p>\n

BE PATIENT<\/strong><\/p>\n

Giving yourself time to adjust to trying new things helps when exploring something different, like eating more plant-based meals. \u201cI wasn\u2019t a diversion eater, so this challenged me. I knew I wanted to eat less meat. It takes time. It doesn\u2019t happen in a week. Be patient in our taste buds,\u201d Dr. Ashton offers.<\/p>\n

ADD SMALL THINGS TO YOUR LIFE<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re re-entering the world after being immersed into a spa retreat where relaxation was simple, Ashton suggests bringing small parts of the spa experience home with a scent or tea, or being in a quiet state. \u201cMaybe it is no tech or doing more stretching. Think about everything that involves the five senses in the spa and try to replicate some of that in your home,\u201d Dr. Ashton suggests.<\/p>\n

BE CREATIVE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. Ashton says making the well-being habit you\u2019re trying to adopt be \u201cnew to you\u201d is helpful. For example, \u201cIf you\u2019re already drinking lots of water, you can add a citrus,\u201d she adds. Or if you\u2019re already in the habit of walking, try a different path.<\/p>\n

BE CURIOUS<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re trying something new, like a new meditation, and deciding if this is the right fit for you, remember you\u2019re discovering what works best for you. You\u2019re figuring out what helps you to be happy and healthy.<\/p>\n

ADJUST YOUR PERSPECTIVE<\/strong><\/p>\n

A slight shift in how you see your schedule can make a significant impact. Dr. Ashton writes, \u201cI know that self-care isn\u2019t a matter of having time; it\u2019s a matter of readjusting what you do with that time\u2026And as I\u2019ve learned, spending just a few minutes every day to take care of yourself actually creates more time.\u201d<\/p>\n

PROCESS NOT PERFECTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keep in mind, perfection isn\u2019t necessary for well-being. This is a kinder and gentler approach to not only how you look at your results, but how you speak to yourself along the way.<\/p>\n

DON\u2019T COMPARE<\/strong><\/p>\n

With social media it is easy to look at someone else, who is doing something similar, and feel like you\u2019re not making progress. \u201cKeep going. Your life isn\u2019t someone else\u2019s selfie,\u201d Dr. Ashton encourages.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The post Dr. Jennifer Ashton: Self-Care Tips<\/a> appeared first on Organic Spa Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Jennifer Ashton Photographer: Michael Benabib Dr. Jennifer Ashton, chief medical correspondent at ABC World News, shares tips to make well-being attainable When it comes to the word \u201cwell-being,\u201d a yoga class, soothing spa treatment or walk in nature may come to mind. For Dr. Jennifer Ashton, the chief medical correspondent at ABC World News, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=380"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":381,"href":"http:\/\/stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380\/revisions\/381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}