Pure Balanced Life Blog
How to Get Your Body Back in Sync After Daylight Savings Time
The science behind your circadian rhythm — and how to help your whole family adjust Every fall, we “gain” an hour when Daylight Savings Time ends. It sounds great — an extra hour of sleep! But for many people, that shift leaves you feeling just a little off for days (sometimes even weeks). That’s because while the clock changes instantly, your body’s circadian rhythm — your internal biological clock — takes a little longer to catch up. Let’s dive into what’s actually happening in your body, and how you can get yourself (and your kids!) back in sync naturally. The Science Behind the Shift Your circadian rhythm is a 24-hour internal clock that regulates everything from your sleep-wake cycles to your hormone production, digestion, and energy levels. It’s primarily influenced by light exposure, especially natural sunlight. When we “fall back,” the mornings get lighter earlier and the evenings darker sooner — which can confuse your body’s melatonin and cortisol cycles. Melatonin, the hormone that helps you fall asleep, may start releasing earlier than usual. Cortisol, which helps you wake up, might not ramp up at the right time in the morning. The result? You might feel groggy, hungry at odd times, or wide awake when you should be winding down. Step-by-Step: How to Re-Sync Your Body Naturally Here’s how to help your body recalibrate with the new timing: 1. Get Natural Light First Thing in the Morning Light is the strongest signal for resetting your circadian rhythm. Step outside within 30–60 minutes of waking up — even if it’s cloudy. Natural sunlight tells your brain “It’s morning!” and helps reset your body clock. 2. Limit Artificial Light at Night Phones, TVs, and tablets emit blue light that tricks your brain into thinking it’s still daytime. Try dimming lights and putting screens away an hour before bed to help melatonin rise naturally. 3. Stay Hydrated Fatigue and brain fog often worsen with mild dehydration — and time changes can throw off your body’s normal cues to drink water. Keep your energy steady by sipping throughout the day. (Add a pinch of sea salt or trace minerals for extra support.) 4. Keep Your Sleep and Wake Times Consistent Go to bed and wake up around the same time every day — even on weekends. Consistency strengthens your circadian rhythm and shortens the adjustment period. 5. Get Moving — Outside Exercise boosts serotonin and helps regulate your sleep cycle. Try walking, stretching, or doing your workout outdoors. Movement combined with morning sunlight is the fastest way to get your body back on track. How to Help Your Kids Adjust If you’re a parent, you know that Daylight Savings can throw off everyone’s sleep. Children’s internal clocks are even more sensitive to time shifts — and tired kids mean tired parents. Here’s how to help ease the transition: Shift bedtime gradually. Move bedtime and wake-up time by 10–15 minutes each night for a few days leading up to (and following) the time change. Keep evening routines calm and consistent. Baths, reading, and quiet play signal that it’s time to wind down. Get them outside early. Morning sunlight helps reset kids’ internal clocks too — it’s nature’s best sleep aid. Watch evening light exposure. Keep lights dim after dinner to help melatonin kick in naturally. A few days of intentional adjustment can make all the difference — for your kids and your sanity. Give Your Body Grace It can take about 3–7 days for your body to fully adjust to the new schedule. Be patient, prioritize good sleep, hydration, and time outdoors. The goal isn’t perfection — it’s balance. And remember — when your body is in rhythm, you feel more energized, focused, and grounded. Enjoy that extra hour today. What are you doing with it? ☀️
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An Intentional Fall: Creating Family Traditions That Feel Right
If you’re feeling the need for change this season, you’re not alone. Embrace the beauty of fall with peace, purpose, and connection. Years ago, when our kids were little, I started to really struggle with the idea of Halloween. Watching children walk around as dead cheerleaders and zombies didn’t feel like something I wanted our kids to aspire to. But fall is also such a beautiful time — the change of seasons, the crisp air, the opportunity to gather. There are so many wonderful memories to be made! A Conversation That Changed Everything A recent conversation with a friend inspired me to write this. She was just “done” and had decided to boycott the season — which is understandable. With the commercialization of our holidays, it can sometimes feel easier to just say no and not participate at all. But we also want our kids to experience the joy of the seasons! Holidays can hold some of our best memories — moments that connect us, make us laugh, and remind us what family is all about. Every family is different, and certain traditions will feel right for yours. The key is to be intentional. Don’t just go with the flow. Don’t worry about what others think (because let’s be honest, everyone will have an opinion). Do what feels right for your family. A Peek Into Our Family Fall Traditions 🍁 Our kids love fall and Halloween because of the traditions we’ve created together — the Pumpkin Patch, carving and painting pumpkins, cozy fall nights snuggled in blankets reading stories, warm soup simmering on the stove, and dressing up as heroes or characters they love. Each year, our kids choose costumes that inspire them — often their favorite scripture heroes or storybook characters. This year, our youngest wants to be a light because her favorite Primary song is “This Little Light of Mine.” 💡 I’m still trying to figure out how to pull that one off, but if she wants to walk around as a light — that’s amazing! On Halloween night, we go trick-or-treating as a family and meet up with friends. We have warm soup and bread before we head out and hot chocolate waiting when we get home. It’s a simple, stress-free night for our family. Our Kids Know the Drill When our kids were little I would sort through their baskets and remove all the candy with food coloring — which honestly, is most of it. Now that our kids are older they do it. Our kids keep the chocolate and know they can have a little each day after they eat something healthy. Most of the time, they forget about it after a few weeks. Teaching Kids Balance This is the beauty of not making candy or treats forbidden or “all or nothing”. When you teach your kids balance and how to sort out the unhealthy portions they self-regulate — taking that pressure off of mom. We want our kids to know how to make healthy choices for themselves, whether they are 5 or 25 — because (cue the tears) at some point they’ll be on their own. We want them to know how to make good choices so they can be healthy for life. Making It Work For Different Ages of Kids Through the years we’ve made adjustments as some of our kids have gotten older. Our teens love spending time with our family but also want to see friends. With our schedule, they are able to do both. We start at 5pm with dinner and pictures, and because we only Trick-or-Treat for about an hour, we’re home by 7:30pm. Our kids can do their candy trade, have hot chocolate, and then our little ones get ready for bed (which is great, because as us moms know, the later it gets the quicker it goes downhill). After our family time our teens head out to enjoy Halloween Parties with their friends. The Memories We Keep We take lots of pictures — at the Pumpkin Patch, carving and painting pumpkins, and dressed up in costumes. These are the memories our kids will remember when they’re grown. During fall, I put up photos from past years — little reminders of fun, family, and togetherness. That’s what I want them to remember most. When It’s Time for Change If something doesn’t feel right in your family traditions, maybe it’s time to make a change. Prayerfully consider what is right for your family. It’s easy to get caught up in what the world says holidays should be — but let’s be honest, most of it is about money and distraction. The world is in full force trying to pull us away from what truly matters — family, purpose, and motherhood. As Julie B. Beck once said, “Mothers who know, do things differently.” I feel proud to walk that road. A Final Thought If you’re feeling the pull to do things differently this season, you’re not alone. There’s so much beauty in creating family rhythms that feel aligned with your values — ones that build connection, bring peace, and reflect who you truly are. Let that mom intuition guide your heart and home as you seek to live more intentionally — one beautiful fall day at a time. 🍂
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Dyeing Eggs Naturally
Dyeing eggs with natural ingredients is so easy and fun to do! The kids LOVE seeing what color their eggs will turn with everyday foods they love. Grab what you have – pretty much any fruits or veggies with a strong color will make a beautiful egg. Prep your eggs: Hard-boil your eggs – let cool to room temperature. Here’s what we used and how we prepared our “egg bath” to make these beautiful colors: 1. Frozen Blackberries + Blueberries – Add 2 cups berries to 2 cups of water. Boil for 20 minutes (you want the water to be a rich dark color). STRAIN. Add 2 Tablespoons of White Vinegar. Drop in the egg and let soak. The longer the egg soaks the deeper the color will be. These cooked berries are delicious to eat! Sprinkle a little organic sugar on the top or use liquid stevia if you want them extra sweet – it’s JAM – perfect for toast =). 2. Spinach – Add 2 cups of raw spinach to 2 cups of water. Boil for 20 minutes. STRAIN. Add 2 Tablespoons of White Vinegar (this will actually cause a chemical reaction and the water will turn clear! Never fear!). This mix will dye your eggs a beautiful butter yellow color – or leave in overnight for a beautiful light green. 3. Raw Cocoa – Add 2 Tablespoons of cocoa to 2 cups of water – stir (do not heat). Add 2 Tablespoons of White Vinegar. Drop in your egg and soak. 4. LIVEDEN BALANCE – Add 2 scoops of LIVEDEN BALANCE to 2 cups of water in shaker cup – SHAKE. Add eggs and let soak. Leave eggs in their “egg bath” overnight in the fridge for a deeper Robin’s Egg blue color. Other fun natural ingredients for egg dyeing: Turmeric – Yellow Eggs Beets – Pink Eggs Chili Powder – Orange Eggs Blueberries – Silver Eggs (don’t add the Vinegar to this mixture). Once your egg has reached its desired color then lightly rinse and pat dry. If you want your eggs to have a little sheen simply rub with a dab of olive oil. And there you go! Beautiful pastel eggs for your Easter table or egg hunt (and perfect for healthy deviled eggs in a few days =). Happy Easter Friends!
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THE POWER OF A BALANCED BODY
When is your body at its best? When your blood sugar is BALANCED. Understanding your body’s blood sugar can help you feel like an absolute rockstar. Let’s take a quick look at the HIGHS and LOWS to give you a quick glimpse into the workings of your amazing body – so you know how to find that BALANCED sweet spot {so you feel your absolute best!}. What Keeps Our Body Running Your body runs off of Glucose – which is fuel for all the cells in your body – but too much can become a slow-acting poison. Let’s take a look at what happens when our blood sugar isn’t stable. ➚ When Your Blood Sugar Is Too HIGH… WEIGHT WILL INCREASE – When your glucose levels are high, your body stores fat. PANCREAS TROUBLE – High sugar levels erode the ability of cells in your pancreas to make insulin. This causes the organ to overcompensate and your insulin levels stay elevated. This can cause permanent damage to the pancreas. ATHEROSCLEROSIS – Your body’s ability to transport blood throughout is vital. High levels of blood sugar can lead to Atherosclerosis, which is a hardening of the blood vessels. Damaged blood vessels can open the flood gates for health issues including: Kidney Disease, Heart Attacks, Vision Loss and Blindness, Strokes, Weakened Immune System (so you get sick more often), Neuropathy (which causes tingling, pain, or less sensation in your hands, legs, and feet), Erectile Dysfunction, and Slow Wound Healing. When Does Our Blood Sugar Get Too High? When large meals and too many calories and sugar are consumed at one time it causes a spike in blood sugar, which increases toxins in the body. The High-Low blood sugar cycle begins. ➘ When Your Blood Sugar Is Too Low… Mood swings, sugar cravings, edginess, headaches, energy crashes, brain fog – these are all effects of low blood sugar. When our blood sugar gets too low we crave fuel that can be used quickly by the body – think sugar, simple carbohydrates, and sweets and treats (ever downed a chip bag or couldn’t stop eating those cookies? Yep, low blood sugar). When the blood sugar is low the body also burns muscle for fuel – which is an absolute tragedy – your muscle keeps your metabolism HIGH. Your body also holds on to fat instead of using it for fuel so you won’t lose weight. When Does Our Blood Sugar Get Too Low? Our blood sugar gets too low when we skip meals, go too long without eating, restrict our calories, and don’t eat the right balance of protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. ➙ Finding Your Sweet Spot – The Power of BALANCE A body with stable blood sugar has no cravings, great energy, releases fat to be used as fuel (how we lose weight), protects its lean muscle (which is vital for a high metabolism and good muscle tone), has good mental acuity (no brain fog), and just feels amazing. Bottom line: You feel great and in control of your body. Your body is at its OPTIMUM when the blood sugar is balanced. Working With Your Body Don’t feel weak during these high and low blood sugar “swings”. Your body is an amazing machine and is trying to keep you alive and function the best it can. Learn to work WITH your body instead of against it. Stable blood sugar is vital for overall health and well-being. A happy body is a stable and “balanced” body. The Best Way To Balance Your Blood Sugar Starting your day RIGHT is everything! Remember, the best chance you have at balancing and stabilizing your blood sugar is when you BREAK your FAST, after your nightly rest. What you consume FIRST in the day is absolutely critical to nourish the cells, balance your body, and properly feed your healthy gut bacteria so it flourishes. The body comes ALIVE when it receives proper nourishment. Starting Your Day Right Having the proper balance of whole superfood nutrition with healthy, easy-to-absorb plant and vegetable-based protein, and the right balance of essential vitamins and minerals is critical to set you up for a high energy, great mental acuity, feeling-your-best, kind of day. LIVEDEN Balance was specifically formulated to balance your body in all ways – to nourish your body on a cellular level and give you all you need to start your day RIGHT so that you are empowered to be your best. Remember, mornings are powerful. Balancing your body so you look and feel your BEST all begins with how you start your day. It’s the power of BALANCE. The power of how you START YOUR DAY. © 2025 Heather Holker, LIVEDEN and Pure Balanced Life
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Meet the Holker Family
The Holker Family was honored to be featured in the Alpine Life Magazine. Heather was interviewed by the editor Kelley Gregory. Read on to learn more about the Founders and Co-CEO’s, and their family. Tell me about your family? Marty and I have been married for 14 years and we have 5 amazing children: Mary Elizabeth (12), Scarlett (10), Chase (6), Grace (3), and our little Rock (1). You guys must be pretty busy! Yes! That is an understatement. We have a lot going on! We’re very busy. Our hearts and hands are very full. Do you have any pets? We do! We have our horses – Echo and Maia, our pup – Lily, and 7 chickens (you’d have to ask the kids what their names are, I’m always forgetting!). What do you and Marty do? First and foremost I love being a wife and mother. I feel like everything else in life rolls around our family and busy home. My education and professional background has always been in the health and wellness industry, and Marty’s background is in entrepreneurship and marketing. For years we tried to work within the parameters of other companies, but at the end of the day we just never found anything that really aligned with our values. We have always been so passionate about helping others discover their best health while helping them create strong financial security. There just was nothing out there that really met our qualifications from a product standpoint – that was clean and pure and something that your body really needs – and also from a company standpoint that carried our moral values. For a long time we have been pulled in different directions, but our children are young, our house is busy, and time is passing quickly. We felt strongly that there were other people out there who were looking for the same thing that we were, and that in order to take full advantage of these years, our time and our talents, and be more “in the moment” that we needed to create something we were really passionate about and could all be involved with as a family. Together we created Puratae, which is a health and nutrition company, with a strong philanthropic base, that educates on how to live a pure, balanced life. This company is the quintessential of our passion, drive, commitment, and purpose. “If you’re woking on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.” – Steve Jobs What is the philanthropic side of your company? There are a lot of children in the world who are in need of help. Today 66 million school-aged children attend classes hungry every day. As a mother that statistic is really hard to hear. Many think of this as a third world country issue – but the fact is it’s closer than you think – with 1 in 6 children in the U.S. living with Food Insecurity. We believe there is so much power when we join together in a mission to help others in need – and so we infused our giving with every purchase – providing 10 meals for every PURE SUPERFOOD purchased. In my mind I just imagine what it would be like if every company operated with a mandate to give back. It would change the world overnight! We really wanted to teach our children that by “small and simply things great things are brought to pass”. 10 meals may not seem like a lot – but for those 10 children it means everything. It means hope. Where do you donate your meals? Right now we donate meals in 19 countries. Our goal is to have a giving outreach in every country. Every child deserves to have enough food to eat regardless of where they live. We believe no child should ever be hungry. Let’s talk about your family… What are your activities and hobbies? We are an active family! We love to be together, and we love to be outdoors! We love hiking and enjoying the beautiful surroundings of Utah. On Sundays we go to church, study together, and then we love to make healthy treats with our kids. As business owners much of our time is spent with our company, but we try and make it a “family affair” and love that our children feel like they are a part of what we do. We really consider our business to be a mission that we do together as a family. Do you have a special park or place you like to hang out? We love all of the beautiful parks and surroundings in Alpine, but our absolute favorite place in the world is our backyard! We already have so many wonderful memories there. We love it and are so grateful for the previous homeowners who took so much care and attention to plant all of the trees so many years ago. It has been such a gift for us. We always comment that we feel like we’re in a park. It’s heaven for us. Do you have a favorite restaurant? We frequent Blue Lemon. We love how clean their food is and that it’s so close to home. If we’re going for a “destination dinner” then we love Maxwell’s in Park City. How about a vacation destination? We absolutely love Hawaii. For a close vacation destination we love Park City. We lived there a few years ago and it feels like a home away from home for us. Any favorite sports teams? Whatever teams and sports our kids are playing on are our favorites. How about favorite TV shows or movies? We don’t watch much TV. We enjoy being active and on the GO. If the TV is on it’s usually a Curious George (which is our 3 year old daughter’s favorite – she’s in charge, if you’ve ever had a 3 year old you get this =). What kind of music do you listen to? Music played a huge roll in how Marty was raised. His mom is very musical and shared that love with her family. They had their own music group and performed at venues all across the U.S. and in other countries (even with Bob Hope!). Today that love continues with her grandchildren. We have two nieces that have been part of EFY soundtracks so those are our favorites to listen to! My side was also heavily musical with instruments (with my Grandmother and Great-Grandfather playing with John Philip Sousa). We try and carry that tradition on with all things orchestra (as Mary and I both play the violin). We really love music and feel like it can be such a powerful way to teach and convey important messages. Every now and then we go old-school with music Marty and I were raised with for our family “dance parties” (the kids love this). And Chase’s favorite song is “I Can Only Imagine”…so we’ve listened to that a million times. I also believe you can listen to Christmas music any time of the year =). Does your family have a favorite dinner? We are pretty simple, healthy eaters. We really just love anything we can eat outside. It’s not about the food for us, it’s just about being together (and anything Marty and I can eat standing up – as we play defense on the littles) is perfect. Do you have any family traditions? Marty and I both feel like having family traditions is the “tie that binds”. We want our children to always be close to us so we’ve made our traditions a priority. Each holiday, time of year, and birthdays (even half birthdays) have their own traditions. On one of our family picture walls we have the quote “We were together, I forget the rest”. We hope to fill our children’s childhood with happy memories of us spending special family time together. We really hope that they’ll carry on those traditions with their own families someday (and that they’ll bring their children to spend a lot of time at “Grandma and Grandpa’s house”) – that will be everything. What college/university did you attend? Marty went to Rick’s College (when it was “Rick’s” – now BYU Idaho), and I went to ASU. Where are you originally from? Marty is originally from Minnesota, and I’m from Arizona. We met while Marty was living in Saint George, UT and I was living in Fountain Hills, AZ. We met on an LDS singles website (yes, it can actually work =). We physically met on a Friday, were engaged that Sunday, and married 34 days later (I know, our parents were horrified as well). That was 14 years ago. I can honestly say that I feel Marty was created just for me. He completes me in every way. We’ve learned that a strong marriage is something we must work on every day. We try to always put each other first and realize that our marriage is the heart of our eternal family – which is everything to both of us. How long have you lived in this neighborhood? 4 amazing years! We have loved every minute! What do you like to do to relax? We really just love to be together. Marty and I love to sit on our back porch and watch the kids play (we consider that our downtime =). We find so much joy in just watching them create and “perform” for us. The hammock is also a favorite quiet space for the family. If we have any extra time we love to run up to Park City or Sundance – they’re our two favorite close destination places (it feels like a “destination” when you have 5 kids in the car =). How are you involved in the community? We feel it’s so important to give more than you take, and to “lift where you stand”. We love to support local businesses and always try to keep our family and their activities “close to home”. Literally all of our children’s extracurricular activities are within a 5 minute radius. We love supporting local families and their businesses. Our community is an absolute treasure of amazing individuals that are experts in their fields! They have greatly impacted our family and taught our children so much. We homeschool and really feel like learning is family centered. When our children learn, we learn. It’s been amazing for all of us. What activities are your children involved with? Mary and Scarlett both love English riding and doing Hunter competitions with their horses. They also love playing tennis and painting. Mary plays the violin, and Scarlett loves gymnastics. Chase loves baseball and tumbling. And Gracie and Rock just love to cheer their siblings on with whatever they’re doing. I feel like we’re our own cheering section. What is your favorite part about living in your neighborhood? We love how close our community is. We literally feel like everyone is family here. We love how everyone watches out for each other and takes care of one another. We have had the opportunity to travel all over the U.S. and live in many different places. When we first came to Alpine we felt like we were home. This area just called to us. We love being so close to the mountains and we love how quiet and quaint it is here. But it’s so much more then the surroundings, the people here make Alpine what it is. For us this is truly a piece of heaven. There is no other place we’d rather raise our precious children in. Photography by: Candace Ashworth Simpson
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