Blog - The Health Sessions

A Simple Guide to Hip Flexibility Exercises

This article is written by dr. Kristina DeMatas from Sporty Doctor. The hip flexors are a group of muscles around the top of your thighs that connect the upper leg to the hip. This muscle group allows you to bend at the waist and raise your leg to your chest. Some of the main hip flexor … Read more >

The Fundamentals to Heal an Unhealthy Gut

This article is written by dr. Sohil Guntagani

An unhealthy gut can cause you unmeasurable problems, including the development of autoimmune diseases and cancer. Tremendous research has been made in the past two decades regarding gut health. Researchers have found a direct link between gut health and our hormones, eating habits, mental health, thyroid issues, skin conditions, gastrointestinal disorders and cancer.

That’s why a growing number of healthcare providers focus on improving their patient’s gut health. In this blog, we will talk about the fundamentals of healing your gut.

The Best of Beans: 14 Health-Boosting Recipes with Legumes

Beans are the perfect pantry food: they’re affordable, long-lasting and packed with plant-based protein. Legumes like black beans, chickpeas and lentils also make healthy sources of fiber, iron and antioxidants.

What’s more, research indicates that people who consume beans regularly have a lower risk of getting cardiovascular disease. Legumes also help stabilize blood sugar levels and may even help prevent diabetes type 2 due to the high fibre content. Dan Buettner’s study into the longest-living people even in the world even suggests that eating one cup of beans a day adds four years to your life expectancy.

To get the most value out of those tiny pods and make them more digestible, you could soak or spout dried beans beforehand. But if that’s too much hassle, a quick rinse will do.

So now that you know the benefits of beans, how can you add more of them to your meals?

Beans are very versatile, and you can make so much more with legumes than just chili and enchiladas. Try these 14 health-boosting recipes to get the best of beans!

How You Can Still Embrace Spring During a Season of Self-Isolation

I’d been looking forward to Spring.

Although we’ve hardly had a ‘real’ winter here in the Netherlands, I was longing to be outside, feel the sun of my face and watch nature come back to life. The blossoming trees and light-hearted energy of new beginnings in the air never fail to put a smile on my face.

But then, the coronavirus spread around the globe, forcing so many of us to stay at home.

I’m no stranger to being stuck indoors. For more than a decade, I spent most of of days in bed or on the couch due to juvenile rheumatism, fibromyalgia and ME/CFS. So I know plenty of ways to keep myself entertained when bored and sick at home – in fact, you can get my 130 best ideas for low-energy activities for free when you sign up here!

But that doesn’t mean I don’t miss simple Spring routines like being in nature, cycling my kids to school, having lunch outdoors and seeing newborn lambs and baby ducks around.

However, if there’s one thing I learned from all those years of being housebound with chronic illness, it’s how to make the most of any situation. Surely there must be a way to get that sense of renewal, growth, rejuvenation and creation between four walls?

No matter if you’re stuck at home due to chronic illness, social distancing or quarantine, here’s how you can still embrace Spring during a season of self-isolation.

The Ultimate Reading Guide for Coping with the Coronavirus Crisis

Never before have I written an article about current events. The Health Sessions is a resource with timeless advice on how to live a good life with chronic illness and get one step closer to your own definition of recovery.

But now that the global pandemic of the coronavirus affects hundreds of millions of lives – including those with pre-existing health problems – I want to contribute with what I do best: sharing tips to help you get through this crisis.

That’s why I’m giving away The Bored and Sick Guide for free when you sign up for the weekly health sessions. You get 130 low-energy ideas to entertain yourself at home and beat the boredom!

What’s more, I’ve rounded up coping strategies, positive distraction and practical tips to deal with social distancing and self-isolation. Here’s your ultimate reading guide for coping with the coronavirus crisis – chronically ill or not.