What's missing

Have you ever noticed that we pay a lot more attention to things when they're missing?  Our keys, our friends, our minds????  Why can't we manage to notice the things we love and need when they're with us?  Our health would be far better suited if we could just have gratitude for it when we have it. 

How to show our bodies we appreciate them.

1.  Don't burn them - stoves aside, avoid other burns as well.  Sunburns, windburns, chemicals, all can be dangerous. 

2.  Let them breathe - clean air as much as possible.  Be aware of what is around you, and what you can do about it.

3.  Exercise - had to be said.

4.  Ensure that your body has what it needs.  Simple tests can be done by yourself, by a doctor or by a health practitioner to find out what nutrients your body might be craving.  Did you know some weird behaviors can be tied to what we do or don't put in our bodies?  When you wake up at the same time in the middle of the night, craving ice, a tendency to lean our heads one way?  Weird, huh?

5.  Be aware of your body, of your friends, of your life.  Awareness, the consciousness of it, changes things every single moment.  It's true. 

I love you friend.  :)

Is anyone out there?

I have fun writing these, but am wondering if it's worth still putting them up on the site.  Can I get a raise of virtual hands if you actually read this?   Thanks.

Arghhh a nomics

Planting, exercising, sports, however you do it, here's things to try when you strain, sprain or just overwork yourself. 

RICE - rest, ice, compression, elevation - this was the old standby.  They have since removed compression other than immobilization.  (Need blood flow to the area to heal, but also don't want too much movement). 

Here's the questions I usually get, and my experience and learning to share.

"What about heat?  It feels better."  Yes heat feels great and is relaxing to sore muscles, however it also keeps blood flow heavy and doesn't relieve inflammation.  Alternating heat and ice can help the area to recover more quickly because the changes in blood flow help to remove waste from the area and help to keep the inflammation down.  Heat is good, but when you have an injury, ice is a part of the process.  :)

"How long should I rest it?"  It depends, unfortunate answer, I know.  How badly it's injured, how active you usually are, how quickly you heal are all variables.  That being said, if you've hurt yourself try to give yourself at least 72 hours off.  Then based on how you're feeling, what your doctor says (if you've been) and how much you're planning on doing you can decide how much longer.

Relief - apple cider vinegar and Epsom salts for swelling. 
Arnica, capsacin, camphor, horse chestnut and peppermint - topically
Blue Spruce and peppermint - aromatherapy
Internally - Advil, Tylenol if necessary, white willow, feverfew, arnica, bromelain.
Distraction - big believer in finding other things to think about than what you're NOT doing right now.  Catch up on some reading, balance your checkbook, whatever!

Oh, and get a massage, they help with the pain and the recovery.  But you already knew that...  :)

Creeping up

Things creeping up, pretty much bad.  Scales, bugs, dates, if it's creeping that can't be good.  I feel a little worried about the creeping things in my world.  I actually thought I had my stress under control, but, no.  Now I have to take control of my creepings.

Taking control.  Or letting go.  The decisions about what to take hold and what to let go seem to be growing for everyone.  It can be difficult to decide what is your job and what you need to leave alone, especially when everything around you feels SO important.  I am not great at this, being a confessed control freak, but I'm learning.  Part of my learning comes from realizing that my kids and I don't have to do or be everything.  That is helping.  Also turning things off and thinking helps.  I notice that I can think really clearly when I'm out mowing the lawn, probably because there is nothing to do but think and I don't have kids, phones, needs interrupting. 

Try to get some time this week to just let yourself feel and think.  No lists of what's not done, no pressures of wasting time, just a much needed sanity relief.  Let me know how it goes, if you're still sane that is.  :)

Legs of a Champion

Let's talk about legs, their importance and their impotence at times... 
Good stuff - easy to strengthen, easy to stretch, and burn a lot of calories when they're in shape.
Bad stuff - weak or tight muscles can lead to imbalance, back pain, and more susceptible to injury.

To help them "do their thing" we need to ensure that we work to strengthen, stretch and use these large muscles.
Do stairs, as slowly as you need to.
Walk, or run if that's your thing.
Work the outsides and insides squeezes and lifts, get it all.
Stretch em' all, quads (the ones on the front) being too tight can lead to swayback and lower back pain.
                       hams (back ones) can cause hip pain and a greater chance for displacement.
                       glutes and other bottom ones can lead to sciatica, hip pain and radiating pain to the groin.

Do our thing, so they can do their thing for us!

So long?

Nah, I'm not leaving, but you might have thought it from my absence.  See previous posts about kids and then I'll just say I'm sorry.  I'm back! Whew!

Warmer days!  Anyone wonder about the truth to things in the summer?  Like does your hair really grow faster? (Yep)  Or can lemon juice lighten your hair?  (Yep, but it can also dry it out.)  What about natural bug repellents - here's a few - marigolds in your garden, citronella (duh), garlic, peppermint (also kills fungus), clove, thyme, sage, most peppers.  I wouldn't bathe in garlic (although it might be effective, but peppermint is nice. 

Ok, what about people health, do you really weigh less in the summer?  Generally this is true, but it's not because of the weather, during the summer months most people eat more fresh fruits and veggies and they're outside more.  Being outside and active fights that horrible cortisol even a few minutes at a time. 

Other comments or questions?  Let me know!

Forgot *blush*

I forgot my cool poem to share:

The tide recedes but leaves behind bright seashells on the sand,
The sun goes down but gentle warmth still lingers on the land.
The music stops, and yet it echoes on it sweet refrains...
For every joy that passes, something beautiful remains. -- M. D. Hughes

Add something warm to your day today, cinnamon, ginger, sandalwood.  Beautiful and bright.

Health and Love

I had an interesting and intriguing thought today, while working to help my daughter understand why a baby needs a nap.  We were talking about taking care of our bodies, and taking care of each other, and I thought of something.  We should be doing way more "romantic" things everyday.  We should be wooing, ourselves.

Not to make light of the importance of romance in intimate relationships, but there are others that need those same gestures from us.  Heard the expression wooing the boss, or client?  Sure!  Maybe part of the key to self-care is to think of ourselves as someone to be romantic to. 

I'm wondering if being more romantic to myself, and helping others do the same, couldn't improve a lot in our lives.  It would help with self-esteem, self-understanding, happiness, acceptance, and in turn improve most of our other jobs in life.  When we set out to woo someone we try to learn what they enjoy, what they need and most importantly what would make them happy, then we try to do it. 

Heard that to romance your wife, do the dishes?  Or dress up and take her out?  How about to care for your husband compliment and thank him?  Or just have some fun with him *nudge, nudge*?  So how would those things relate if we were wooing ourselves?  I feel better when I'm clean and look good, when I acknowledge something I've done well, or when I let myself off the hook for something.

Let's make a date, and let love in again.  :)

Growth

Spring is a great time.  A time of renewal, of change and of hope.  It's spiritual, beautiful, and exciting.  Unfortunately change can also be something that's stressful, painful and distinctly slow.  So, I find myself asking, how can I "grow" more quickly? 

Taking advice from plants, it's patience, sunlight, and keep breathing.  But then again, one bad freeze and a lot of them don't make it either.  So maybe it's self-care, protection, and nutrients, but nutrient rich soil will do nothing for a plant without water.  It becomes a combination of things, and maybe that's why growth is hard.  If we could pinpoint just one thing to make it easier, it would be easy, but it's not.

Acceptance, flowing, patience, hope, nutrition, water, sun, and a little help, and perhaps we can all bloom this year.

To bloom, we should understand what it is that makes us special.  A challenge, that's we've been given before, but can always re-address, to discover our passion.  If hope springs eternal, and spring is the season of hope, let's refocus on what we want to become - plant our seed today.

Tomorrow, I want to share a beautiful poem I found.  :)

Sunscreen

I'd love comments about brands and ideas you've tried.  Very important in the coming months.  I feel aware of the dangers of exposure in the past year or two as I've checked in with family after surgery to remove skin cancers. 

Every morning, I need to get the whole family in on water, sunscreen and vitamins.  Some days I do better than others...  :)

I attended a webinar recently on Xylitol.  I had tried Spry gum recently because it's supposed to be better for your teeth than any other gum, so when this webinar was offered to explain how Xylitol was different I was all on board.  They're diversifying the Xylitol from just gum and toothpastes to things like nasal wash and spray for children and adults.  It affects the bacteria that eat it.  Interesting. 

For those interested, these are the two Spry flavors we've tried and my whole family likes both!

Stretch...

I don't know why, but recently I've been surrounded by aches, pains, fevers, and unfortunately upset stomachs.  So, health, wherefore art thou?

Keeping in mind that stretching, strength and cardio are ALL important, which ones come in to play first?  It depends.  Age, health, injuries, nutrition all play a part.  That being said, the easiest ones in my opinion to change are strength and stretching.  All cardio is good, take a flight of stairs, walk for at least 10 minutes in a row, etc.  The hard part about cardio is making the time.  You can walk and watch tv or talk on the phone, but a lot of cardio involves just setting aside a little time, which is what makes it difficult.  That's not an excuse, though!

So the easy ones, stretching and strength.  Stretching ideally should be done in the morning and evening, relax, and renew.  Yoga is great for stretching.  Basically though, stretching is about meeting the needs of your body.  It's good to stretch every major area, the back (front to back and side to side [be careful with twisting stretches, that's when a lot of injuries happen]), the legs (hamstrings, quads, and calves), the shoulders and arms, the neck and the hands and feet.  Stretches don't have to be long, but it's good to get most areas addressed.

Strength, can be done almost anywhere.  Static strength exercises (non-moving) can be done as you're reading this.  If you're at a desk, push up against the desk with your legs (engage your abs to avoid straining).  Push-ups, sit ups, arms, legs, back, abs all can and should get some time.  They've done studies to show how important strength training is and have found that it influences our bodies is almost every way, energy, heart health, bone health, hormones, all of it.  Hand weights are great, ankle weights too.  Even just engaging the muscles and breathing helps. 

Tighten and hold, 2....3.....4.....5.... and release.  Keep it up!

Dealing with tidal waves

The stress from an emergency is different in some ways from our everyday stress.  It's important to treat and be prepared for both kinds if possible.  That being said, today I wanted to share some emergency ideas.

I've learned over the years different ways to be prepared for emergencies.  If a tsunami makes it this far inland I'm afraid I'm out of luck, but we are prepared for many other things.  My DH was out of work for about 7 months and while we received help from our church there were certain things we didn't have to go without.  From our supply - we never rain out of our normal medications, toilet paper, laundry detergent, etc.  There's a peace of mind that comes with being prepared that can help you focus in the day to day.

There's a site in prelaunch that I found that has dehydrated foods available at a very good cost.  You can check it out here:
Click Me!

I also recommend you have a supply of water for any short term emergencies.  (Keep in mind that your water heater could be emptied for some short term emergencies.)

In addition, remember that health, fun and relaxation now provide us with an excellent tool in stressful times - our memories.  Make some, and have fun!  Drink your water. :)

Wee hours

I'm up, it's late.  How are you doing?  Late nights do strange things to my head, like trying to find an old book on using hand pressure to overcome fear.  I have a large selection of weird books like that.  Some help, some make me laugh, and others just intrigue me. 

Has anyone seen the Ford commercial from the super bowl that the guy goes out on a date and then uses his car to check the facebook status where she writes "best first date ever?"  This brings up an interesting idea for me.  This may be none of my business, but if you're willing, I would love to hear what some of your best dates or most romantic things from you lives are. 

Romance is a beautiful key to life.  Relationships that are good improve, increase and prolong our lives.  Making our relationships good, should be as important as what we should be doing for our bodies.  It doesn't have to take that long either.  I'm challenging myself this week to work on my relationships.  I want to give a little of my time, a little of myself to those that I love. 

Want one of my romantic stories?  I should preface this with a "do not try this at home" but when engaged the man who is now my DH, we had reached a very difficult part of our life planning.  I felt unsure and told him I couldn't marry him with things the way they were.  He left work (and got fired) and drove the 2 hours to where I was so we could talk all day until we worked it out.  We also found him a new job closer, but it was very important for us at the time.

A different tale perhaps?  My mother used to leave for work before I got up sometimes, and every once in a while she would leave me a note with a little present, just so I knew she was thinking of me. 

Sit down and write that email, call that friend, bring home a flower or candy bar, reach out and be reached.
<3
Love.

March Hair

I, and much of my family, are in need of haircuts.  It's spring, that time again.  I've been learning about natural beauty products more lately and the things in or not in the hair care stuff we use.

Biotin - great for hair, but can't be absorbed by the shaft, so don't be fooled.
Sudsy - detergents, bad for hair, bad for body, but we're so accustomed to the feeling of lather that our "experience" is incomplete without it.  This is something we just need to overcome I guess. :)
Chemicals - there's a lot of hype about shampoos, toothpastes, creams, causing cancer, in reality, according to the ACS (American Cancer Society) our risk of getting cancer in our lifetimes hasn't increased that much in the past 20 years, which is what a lot of sites and emails would have you believe.  Cancer has always been around, fight it with exercise, fruits and veggies, whole grains, and faith.

That being said, our hair needs care to look good.  Our thyroids need balancing, our body need vitamins, and we need to not stand too long in really hot showers.

I'm off to luke-warm myself - later!

Getting warmer

With the sweat lodge news it may be time to talk about heat.  Heat stroke is a dangerous side effect of summer fun and is especially dangerous to those with weaker systems.  Use sunscreen, drink lots and bring along that paper fan.  The movement of air across the skin really does help to lower the body temp faster.

To get summer ready begin vitamin B's, vitamin D, and vitamin E.  Get out, have some fun, even sweat a little.

For great summer herbs, start a pot today.  Easy to grow and highly usable herbs include basil, parsley, mint, oregano, and rosemary.  Studies have shown that rosemary can improve memory (the studies themselves were both a little weird to read about). 

Let me know what you're growing this year!

Recovery

Had one of those weekends?  Did a little too much, stayed up too late, or overexerted?  Time to get better!  I love the title of this book

Sometimes exercise is the answer.  Going for a walk or run can do wonders for any sort of recovery.  It can help emotionally, physically, and chemically.

For pains in places, a go to list:
Muscles and Joints - capsaicin, arnica, glucosamine, vitamin D, magnesium, white willow, apple cider vinegar (ACV).
Stomach and digestion - peppermint, ginger, aloe vera, ACV, chamomile

Water, sleep, social activities, all good for the feel good.

And of course, a massage.  Anybody know a good therapist?  I could use a massage today!

Stress This!

Stress is a weird word in my opinion.  People work better under stress, unless they are stressed, then they have poor performance.  Bones need to be stressed to stay strong, but you can get a stress fracture.  So my question to myself today is, how do we draw the line on stress?

Stress heightens, strengthens and invigorates.  It induces hormones of fight or flight and oddly enough can induce feelings of strength, confidence, fear and even love.  Then you reach the too much point, the over 5 on the meter of comfort, you push too hard, do too much, or have one too many problems.  This week is a stressful week for me, let's just say I have a lot going on, and didn't start with the greatest mental status.

Here's my advice, but PLEASE, add comments with your own thoughts.  I love to hear and learn how others deal with their stress.

First, get sleep.  Nothing takes away performance, alters mental status, or inhibits body changes like a lack of sleep.  If you have a killer week or month or life, get your rest.
Second, drink water.  I won't beat this one down.  :)
Third, add feverfew, ginseng, st. john's wort, Omega 3, or B vitamins.  These can all aid your ability to get through it.














Forth, eat small snacks to keep your body regulated.  Low fat dairy, fruit (bananas, berries and melons are great), and veggies are an excellent way to stabilize and in some cases add serotonin (the happy hormone) to help you keep going.
Fifth, keep short term goals and rewards.  This offers breaks in the stress.  If I get this done I can play online for 10 minutes, or if I get through this week I will go for a bike ride with my family.  If you set rewards in your mind that are also good for you it helps to build the positive feelings about those activities.

Chin up, we'll make it.  Or we won't and then it's someone else's problem!  Either way.  :)  See you soon!

We win some, we don't

I've met people in my life who believe they are lucky, and those that say they have never won anything!  Like health, this belief is based on what a lot of people view as chance.  There are some parts that are out of our control, and other parts we can turn towards or away from our favor.  Luck and health are a matter of awareness, adjustments, timing, and in the end, some chance.  The chance though can still be altered.  Lucky people believe they are and act accordingly.  They've proven scientifically that people can effect certain outcomes, and that everything from prayer and meditation to positive affirmations can bring about some change.

Be blessed, believe, and good luck.  I'm hoping for a little luck this week! 

What's up with our metabolisms?

So there's supposed to be all these things that raise your metabolism, green tea, peppers, reservatrol, vitamin C etc.  The question is, do they really work and how?  First off, yes, most of them do work in some way or another, and as to how, it depends.  Science stuff - our bodies burn calories based off of need, environment, and chemical changes.  If we increase the need (ie exercise) our bodies breakdown cells (food, fat or unfortunatly sometimes muscle or other) to provide for the exertion.  The environment, hot or cold, wet or dry, light or dark, toxins, can all affect our metabolism as well.  Chemical level - this is the level altered by foods, stress, sleep and more.  At the chemical level we have to fight stress hormones that want to slow metabolism and add fat, we have to provide enough nutrients that our bodies don't break us down, and we have the ability to improve functions through certain nutrients or conditions.

Want to know 2 great things to boost your metabolism easily?  Drink lots of cool or cold water and take the stairs.  Yep. The vitamin C and peppers and all that other stuff?  I recommend a lot of it too, but there's the easy way and then there's the effective way.  Also lower ... your ... stress.  Breathe, laugh, forgive, let go, and be involved with life, not controlled by it. 

For those that want to know - I try to take my own advice.  TRY.  (Ok no Yoda stuff here for my friends of that persuasion).  I usually have moderation, and I do drink my water, but I also ate 12 tacos in a sitting not that long ago.  *sigh*  I need work.  :)

Have a little boost today!  I'm going to, sore thighs aside, there are stairs in my future, and water of course!  :)

Diet

Diet is a 4 letter word, and under normal circumstances I believe moderation is the best diet.  That said, it's a little different when there's outside incentive, so for at least this week (and possibly longer) I am on a "diet".  I am eating specific recipes and hopefully controlling my calories appropriately.  I also tried a new workout video today.  Well it wasn't new, just one I hadn't done in a long time (ie years).  Kind of fun.
I'll tell you more about my diet in the next week or two when I get permission, but suffice it say, it's not one of the diets that I think are bad.  Yes, there are diets that I believe are actually bad for you.

So today, another Monday.  Try ice.  As the weather warms remember that ice is a great friend to pain, injuries and overworked muscles.  It reduces that nasty inflammation.  I've also heard that when you crave eating ice it's a deficiency in zinc or iron.  Maybe it should be a craving for spinach or beans.  Go figure!  See you tomorrow!