As the Natural Health Explorer, Debra K is on a mission to healthify the nation. To do so, she knows she has to venture out and find wellness experts who have an inspiring message to share.
For this article Debra, the host of the TV show Journey into Wellbeing and founder of Well World Productions shares her best tips, as well as thoughts from two wellness professionals. Their advice will help you create an incredible 2016 by reducing stress and embracing a new model for fitness.
Debra's Tips

"The important part is to just make the decision to start again and again and again… as much as needed."
Over the years, as I have traveled, I have picked up a few things from people who have crossed my path. These practices I adhere to regularly and they have made a big difference in how I feel overall. Here are a few practices you might consider giving a try.
To help you sleep:
30 minutes before going to bed, try munching on a handful of tryptophan-rich pumpkin seeds and drink a glass of water with two tablespoons of Montmorency tart cherry juice. Add stevia to sweeten the juice, if needed.
To help tummy troubles:
Start every morning with a non-inflammation-inducing breakfast. My favorite is to mash a banana, with a tablespoon of chia seed, vanilla and unsweetened coconut non-dairy milk.
To keep fitness on track:
Sometimes, unconscious movement works just as well as setting aside time to exercise. I always carry my step tracker and try to add as much walking and stair climbing into my day as I can. I’m often surprised at the end of the day when my efforts have resulted in over 15,000 steps.

I travel a lot! And it can be easy to scrap the routine I maintain so well when at home. Commit to doing something even when not at home. I suggest packing stretch bands and a yoga mat. Plan rest stops or overnight stays at spots that offer hiking and walking. Have your tennis shoes with you at all times (plus sunscreen).
Getting back on the wagon:
2016 will offer you as many chances to fall off the wellbeing wagon as to stay on. I have learned that as many times as I have fallen off, I can always get back on and start making better decisions. The important part is to just make the decision to start again and again and again… as much as needed.
Let’s all commit to doing our part to making 2016 a year about reducing stress, setting realistic fitness goals and taking care of ourselves to the best of our ability.
Tips From Christine King, CEO & President of Your Best Fit

"The great news is that five or ten minutes a day can change your life."
From an early age, Christine had a clear path in life. Being a natural athlete and professional dancer, she led a life dedicated to being physically fit and healthy. In 1996, as she was preparing for the “Miss Fitness USA” pageant, disaster struck when the jet ski she was riding hit a wave and Christine suffered serious damage to her lower back. Her doctors told her that she would never walk again, but she was determined to work until she regained mobility. When she was finally successful, she knew her physical strength and perseverance had been critical to regaining her mobility. It was then that Christine decided to dedicate her life to helping others achieve optimal fitness as well.
Christine’s Advice for Achieving Optimal Fitness in 2016:
For 20 years we’ve witnessed the ebb and flow of fads in the Fitness Industry. Most people understand the need to exercise in order to be healthy and fit, inside and out, but are unsure of the best method to accomplish this goal. Confusion leads people to either do nothing OR make a choice that ends in injury and giving up.
The #1 reason people say they don’t exercise is lack of time.
EVERYONE has five or ten minutes daily to exercise. The great news is that five or ten minutes a day can change your life.
2016 will experience a resurrection of fitness basics. Busy clients will be placed on a simplerotation of four or five movements for as many minutes as they have available. For example:
- 10 Pushups (any version)
- 10 Squats
- 10 Chair Dips
- 10 Lunges
- 10 Crunches
Is that exercise? ABSOLUTELY. Try it for five minutes and see for yourself how your muscles are working!

A few simple guidelines:
- If it hurts don’t do it.
- Work at your own pace.
- Begin slowly. Each week add a minute or two to your workout.
- After a while, change up the exercises to create muscle confusion and eliminate boredom.
Most importantly, stay on track. For 20 years we’ve preached “It doesn’t matter if you get off track. What’s most important is that you get back on track!” Everyone falls off at some point. Focus on accomplishments and stick with the routine that works best for you.
Also, don’t worry about what others do. Fitness is very individualized. What works for your friend may not work for you! That’s where a trainer can be of utmost value.
Listen to your mind and body and most importantly… GET MOVING!
Tips From Eric Stephenson, Founder, Drama Free, Inc.

"Replace the idea of resolution with the practice of dissolution."
Eric has a clear personal mission: to decrease the amount of unnecessary suffering in personal and professional relationships. For over 15 years, Eric has stood at the white-hot center of drama-fueled situations, crafting an approach for navigating life’s chaos. As an educator and speaker for some of the biggest names in the wellness industry, Stephenson brings drama-free secrets to mainstream America; secrets that can help us all achieve optimal wellbeing.
Eric’s Advice for a Drama Free 2016:
When you search online for “New Year’s Resolution” you will see over 306,000,000 results. That is a lot of energy we put into making changes. In the year ahead, there will be countless opportunities to react with self-criticism towards your own health and wellness expectations. “I need to exercise more” - “I should be doing more yoga”- “I will never hit my weight loss goal.” Most of these resolutions are founded in non-acceptance for the reality you are experiencing and the belief that you are not enough.
Messages often start with a well-intended New Year’s resolution, but due to their emotionally charged nature, they can stop us in our tracks and have us abandoning our good intentions by February.
This year maybe we should pledge to reduce drama in our quest for health and wellness...
Here’s how:
Replace the idea of resolution (the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action) with the practice of dissolution (the undoing or breaking of ties or bonds). Specifically, try following these three steps:
- Dissolve your disappointment in yourself when you drop the ball
- Dissolve your tendency to judge yourself or others
- Dissolve the habit of defining yourself by external comparisons
Replace the focus you normally place on a specific goal to dissolving how you feel about it. It can be dramatic for us to enter a new year judging who we have been in the years prior. Maybe this year should be about releasing unrealistic expectations and allowing ourselves to “be”. Maybe we can start a new cultural trend of ditching the drama around unrealistic health expectations.
What are YOU ready to dissolve in 2016?

Debra K: I couldn’t agree more with what Christine and Eric have to share. I especially like that what they recommend makes sense and it is not a rigorous, self-defeating plan that is destined to fail. If I can learn to reduce personal drama and set realistic fitness goals for myself, I am sure to be on my way to having a fantastic 2016!
Cheers!!