Stress!

Stress!
What do you do to clear your head and ease stress?

My favorite thing to do is get outside and move. I love to hike and I am blessed with mountain trails right outside my door so there is no excuse. To me, getting out on the trails is better than the inside of a gym, the roads or a home workout, no matter how challenging.

Sometimes we need a push to get outside, or get moving. A tip to help make it happen is to promise yourself that you will do 10 minutes. If you absolutely aren’t up to it after 10 minutes, go home. What you will find most often is that if you can do 10 minutes, you can do 30. Before you know it, another workout is ‘in the bank.’

What if you can’t get outside right when you need to? Take a minute to close your eyes and breathe deeply a few times. Ideally, breathe in a relaxing fragrance such as lavender, ylang ylang or stress away. You will soon feel a calming effect as you breathe slowly in and out. Maybe add a regular yoga practice to your routine.

Stress can be the source of many health problems, both physical and mental. I encourage you to make a point of keeping it to a minimum so you can enjoy life to the fullest.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7
 

Do You Travel?

Do You Travel?
Whether you travel for work or pleasure or both, it never hurts to share ideas for making a trip less stressful.  Having recently returned from a short vacation I thought it might be helpful to share some of my tips for easing the stress of traveling.  So, here's the short list!

  1. Keep a set of travel sized (3.4 oz or less) toiletries in a clear travel bag. This way all you have to do is ensure that each bottle contains enough for the length of your trip. Everything I normally use is already in place so I don’t forget anything. This is also very handy for your gym bag!
  2. Items that you don’t keep an extra in a small size such as makeup, cotton balls, etc. should be kept out or placed directly into your travel bag after the last time you use them before your trip.
  3. Have a container specifically for your essential oils so there is less risk of breakage or leaking.
  4. Keep chargers for your phone and electronics with you and not just in your checked bag.
  5. Roll up clothing so it takes up less space and may be less wrinkled when you arrive at your destination.
  6. Take wrinkle free or lightweight items as much as possible. Bring an empty spray bottle so you can spritz clothing when you hang it up to loosen wrinkles.
  7. If you live in a hot place like I do here in the Sonoran Desert, remember that other places are likely to be cooler and be sure to take a jacket or sweater!
  8. If you fly a lot, consider enrolling in TSA PreCheck. This will get you through the security line much faster and with less inconvenience.
  9. Take a set of earplugs or headphones just in case the noise level gets out of control. A traveler I met told of an 11 hour flight during which a baby screamed the entire time. Don’t get angry, block it out!
  10. Only take bank/credit cards that you may need to use while away. Keep others secure at home.
  11. Don’t forget the Thieves and Stress Away!
I hope these tips are helpful to you! May your next trip be a fun adventure! 
What are some of your favorite travel tips?  Please share them in the comments below!

Gratitude

Gratitude
This is the season when most of us reflect on the things we are grateful for. We have just recognized the sacrifices of our military on Veterans Day, and now on to Thanksgiving,
a time when we are thinking about thankfulness and gratitude along with all that food!

All around the web we find articles about the many benefits of gratitude. Personally, I find that when I look at my life, my family and my friends with a sense of gratitude, I tend to find their positive attributes. It’s a wonderful thing to look at someone else and truly feel happy and blessed to have them in your life. In this life, we humans tend to look around and see those who have what we perceive to be “more” than we do, whether it be “more” career success, “more” financial success, “more” successful children, etc., on and on. In fact if we are honest with ourselves, we can look in another direction and see many people who are in a different place in life and don’t share even a small part of what we consider success.

Have you thought about what success is to you? Is it a balanced life? More money? A higher rung on the career ladder? What really truly makes you happy? Take a moment to consider it. Then, look around your life and write down the things that you are truly grateful for. A home, transportation, food to eat, family around, whatever it may be. Keep this list where you can refer to it when you feel down, or unsuccessful or frustrated with your kids or your spouse. It will help you keep a positive focus on life, not just during this Thanksgiving holiday, but all year round.

Gratitude essential oil is a blend composed of oils known to be soothing and relaxing, promoting feelings of peace and positive attitude. It has a lovely aroma, and is an essential part of my day. Apply it or diffuse while pondering the blessings in your life. It just might enhance those good things and give a lift to your day!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

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Thinking About Health

Thinking About Health
Recently I found myself in the middle of a conversation about cancer, and how many people seem to be afflicted with it lately.  I’m not a doctor and I don’t know the ins and outs of cancer or other diseases, but I do know that as for me and my house, I will do all I can to eliminate or at least limit the chemical exposures we face every day.

The list of chemicals in the ingredient list is unpronounceable for most people and the effects are a mystery. Unless of course, you do some research.  Then you find various effects caused by those chemicals, many of them harmful to the biological being that we humans are. 

As capable as we are, we are fragile at the same time.  For instance, I just read in an older issue of Backpacker (https://www.backpacker.com) magazine this comment, “The body is at once capable of incredible things and incredibly delicate.  Get too warm or too cold and things go sideways in a hurry.” This followed by a chart showing the effects of various body temperatures that could be reached in extremes of heat or cold. 

Is the same true of the effects of chemicals on our bodies?  Do we really know how we are being affected?  Do we really believe that those chemicals are “safe” for exposure to our skin, for us to breathe in, for us to consume? 

While I am being retrospective, I am reminded of the extreme nausea I experienced the first time I was pregnant.  I was prescribed a drug for the nausea that was later deemed harmful to the baby.  I thank God that my baby was unharmed, but how many times are we assured that something is safe, only to find out years later that it was not safe at all.

That is why I seek out natural ways to enrich my family’s health. That is why I use essential oils.  I choose to live above the wellness line, minimizing the risks as much as possible.  I encourage you to do the same.

Are You Healthy?

Are You Healthy?
Do you think about your health and wellness very often? It seems like everywhere we look we find information about what we should eat, how much we should exercise, what medications we should take for whatever ails us. Ever feel overwhelmed? 

Recently I saw a funny video that parodies some of this information we’ve received over the years.  
To check it out click here  https://youtu.be/5Ua-WVg1SsA

Now we have the controversy over GMO’s, the value of organic products, gluten free diets, Paleo, vegetarian, on and on. Of course some people have a medical condition which requires them to follow a certain diet, but that doesn’t always mean they do it.  Why do you suppose that is?  How is it that food draws us so much that we don’t choose the healthy way, but instead choose something with absolutely no nutritional value that just tastes good to us?

Personally, I do not advocate for a diet that eliminates whole food groups.  I believe most things in moderation is okay, excluding the above mentioned medical conditions. I get bored easily and don’t like to prepare the same kind of meal all the time.  I like to switch it up and keep those taste buds happy!

I like to know that whatever I am serving has the most nutritional value and is the best boost to my family’s health possible.  That’s one reason why I love Young Living.  If I purchase an oil, a supplement, a food item or any other item, I know that it contains all the properties it should in order to properly support the systems of our bodies. 

How can I help you achieve your goals for your best health and wellness?