The Wellness RN

12/17/2025

Self-care is harder when you're doing it alone. Who are your partners, advocates and cheerleaders?

12/09/2025

You don't have to feel excited about self-care to do it.

Get that walk in today.
Buy some produce after work.
Hit the sack early tonight.

You got this.

12/05/2025

Our smartphone apps are designed to entertain, but they can over consume our time and energy.

Try this:
1. Turn off non-essential notifications.
2. Move social apps off your home screen.
3. Switch to grayscale mode to make doom-scrolling less tempting.

When your phone gets dull, your actual life may become more vivid.

12/01/2025

Optimized for your wellness needs. , https://loom.ly/KmqkMqY

Get your life back Book a free phone call who is the wellness RN?Heather Ratliff is a Registered Nurse. She works with clients as a Health Coach using a Functional Medicine approach. NURSEAssessEducateCoordinate care HEALTH COACHMotivationBehavior changeAccountability FUNCTIONAL MEDICINEEvidence bas...

11/26/2025

I recently heard a Sufi practitioner say that "observing the beautiful yields gratitude."

This holiday season, you don’t have to force thankfulness, just notice something beautiful.

When we notice beauty, the body softens.
The breath deepens.
And gratitude follows.

I'm grateful for you. And so thankful.

11/20/2025

New: Targeted Health Coaching & Focused Consults

Not everyone needs (or wants) a full functional medicine workup — sometimes you just need a clear conversation and a plan.

I’ve opened a limited number of new patient sessions designed for people who:
- Want to optimize wellness but aren't really sick
- Need guidance and accountability to move forward
- Have a specific concern (fatigue, digestion, sleep, hormones, etc.)

These sessions are a more affordable way to work together — blending education, practical next steps, and personalized coaching rooted in functional medicine principles.

Whether you’re trying to make sense of your symptoms or just want to feel better in your own body, this is a chance to start where you are.

11/17/2025

Cognition (thinking, planning, executing) runs on chemistry: blood sugar, oxygen, sleep. These all affect how clearly you can think. When those systems are stressed and you feel foggy or scattered, your brain may be asking for better living conditions.

1. Try a gluten-free trial (2–4 weeks).
For some people, gluten triggers inflammation that crosses into the brain, affecting focus and mood. A short elimination can clarify whether consuming gluten part of your fog picture.

2. Breathe like your brain depends on it...because it does.
Breathwork increases oxygen delivery and calms the stress response. Try five slow breaths, in through the nose for a count of four, out for six. Repeat often.

3. Sleep deeply.
Deep sleep clears metabolic waste from the brain through the glymphatic system. If you’re under slept, cognitive clutter piles up fast.

11/12/2025

Metabolism is how efficiently your body converts what you take in (food, water, oxygen) into energy for living your life. A slowed metabolism is the body’s protective response to stress, undernourishment, or chronic inflammation.

When metabolism is sluggish, you might feel these signs:

1. Low or fluctuating energy
2. Weight gain or resistance to loss despite effort
3. Cold hands and feet, or feeling chilled often
4. Brain fog, low mood, or lack of motivation
5. Poor recovery from exercise or illness

3 Ways to Turn Metabolism Back Up

1. Eat protein early in the day to prevent “energy shortage” signals in your body. Start your day with at least 25–30g of protein to stabilize blood sugar and turn on thermogenesis.

2. Build muscles because they are metabolically active. Add strength training, walking, or any movement that uses large muscle groups daily.

3. Prioritize recovery. Sleep, stress regulation, and relaxation are metabolism’s reset buttons. When cortisol stays high, your body downshifts energy production for protection.

11/07/2025

The only real currency we have in this body and in this life is where we put our attention, our presence, and our energy. Everything that creates a "life well lived" requires our engagement. Everything we've accomplished is evidence of where and when we showed up.

If you're struggling with motivation and fatigue, maybe there is a mismatch between what you value and how you're spending your time.

Its exhausting to live out of alignment, when the gift of your daily energy doesn’t go toward what you value most.

11/03/2025

New appointment option with me: Targeted Health Coaching & Focused Consults

Not everyone needs (or wants) a full functional medicine workup — sometimes you just need a clear conversation and a plan.

I’ve opened a limited number of new patient sessions designed for people who:
- Need guidance and accountability to move forward
- Have a specific concern (fatigue, digestion, sleep, hormones, etc.)
- Want to optimize wellness but aren't really sick

These sessions are a more affordable way to work together — blending education, practical next steps, and personalized coaching rooted in functional medicine principles.

Whether you’re trying to make sense of your symptoms or just want to feel better in your own body, this is a chance to start where you are.

10/29/2025

Your genetics, environment, life experiences, and daily habits all shape how your body functions. That’s why a one-size-fits-all approach to health rarely works. Functional medicine starts with your unique story, what your body is trying to communicate, then builds a plan that fits you, uniquely.

10/23/2025

Inflammation is the body’s immune response to cell damage. Our cells are damaged by toxins, poor diet, and being sedentary. Damaged cells cry out for help and the immune system rushes in. When the cells continue to be damaged from continued toxins, diet, etc, the ongoing presence of the immune system additionally starts causing damage. This is called "chronic inflammation."

5 Common Signs of Chronic Inflammation

1. Persistent fatigue – energy feels flat, even with adequate sleep.
2. Brain fog – sluggish focus, poor memory, or “mental molasses.”
3. Bloating or puffiness – fluid retention, swelling, or digestive discomfort.
4. Aches and stiffness – joints or muscles feel sore without clear reason.
5. Mood changes – irritability, anxiety, or low mood that tracks with physical symptoms.

3 Ways to Break the Inflammation Cycle

1. Switch off the common immune triggers - Cut back on alcohol, sugar, and seed oils that keep inflammation “switched on.”

2. Improve circulation and lymph flow to help the body clear signals that are no longer needed - add brisk walks to your week.

3. Send safety signals throughout the body to quell inflammation by throug deep sleep, stress recovery, and true rest.