Tag: cold

Get into the Old Groove in the New Year

January 2, 2021

Well, it is 2021! The holidays are over, the Christmas decorations are coming down, friends and family have departed for their homes and it is time to return to go back to our regular daily routines. But even though the holidays are over that doesn’t mean the cold and gloomy winter days are.

On those cold, cloudy winter days it is tempting to let the weather dictate your mood… but it doesn’t have to.

It’s easy to take a break during the holidays and not stick to your normal routine of diet and exercise. I mean, come on! It’s a holiday! We have to take SOME breaks, right? But once it is all over and the new year has begun…it is really hard to get back into the swing of it again. And…let’s admit it, we feel rather sluggish and lazy, and the cold and gloomy days of winter make us feel less than excited to start again.

But there comes a time to get off the couch, leave the Christmas leftovers behind and get back into the old groove in a new year. Don’t let your break go on for too long or it will get harder to get out of and your body will feel worse…and that is when we face the temptation to give up before we are even two months in. Here are a few important ways to get yourself out of the slumps and re-energize your mind. Start out slowly at first if you have to…but keep on going!

Drink, Drink, Drink

I know drinking a lot of water is harder to remember during the winter months, than it is when we are really active, hot and sweaty…but it is just as important to avoid getting dehydrated during winter as it is in summer. It helps avoid low energy levels, fatigue, headaches and improve your mood.

Drinking plenty of water is essential to good health, and I believe should be one of the top items on the list for the new year…and all year long. water helps improve the digestive system by helping to keep things moving and clear out waste, clean the blood, and aid the detox process. It can also improve the appearance of your skin, giving you a healthy glow, and help your eyes look brighter and your hair shinier!

Exercise

Not only does this help get rid of those unwanted holiday pounds, but getting back into a workout routine also boosts your happiness and energy levels. Experts discovered that low-intensity workouts, such as a leisurely stroll, caused a drop in fatigue levels and a 20% energy boost! Some good news after the holiday slump!

Exercise could also be an answer for helping you face going back to work! One study found that employees who worked out on work days felt less stressed, happier and were more productive than on days when they skipped a workout.

Joyful Smells

Odors can have a rather big effect on our mood. Some smells can make us feel yuck and give us a headache, thus putting us in a foul mood, or they can relax us, clear our brain and make us feel happy. This makes aromatherapy a great way to help improve your mood and boost your brain focus.  Smell is the strongest of the sensations and is best able to influence brain activity. Olfactory bulbs are part of the limbic system and directly connect to the regions of the brain that process emotion and learning. This is one reason why a certain smell will trigger a memory or remind us of someone or something.

It is always important that you are inhaling CLEAN smells, and not a bunch of toxins (even though they may smell wonderful). So maybe switch out those candles for a diffuser with essential oils, such as: Peppermint, Rosemary, Lemon, or Lavender. Find your happy scent and enjoy!

Retrain Your Eating Habits

What you feed your body will either fuel and energize it, or weigh it down, making it sluggish and depressed….not to mention, sick. It’s time to put away those leftover desserts, baked goods and Christmas candy, and pull out the greens! Getting back into a diet of clean fruits and vegetables and whole, organic foods rich in vitamins and nutrients (such as omega-3 fish and foods), can help FUEL your body, feed your energy and get your body and brain out of the holiday fog and gloom…even on those grey gloomy days!

5 Ways to Enjoy Winter This Year!

January 28, 2020

bigstock--259929574

Cold, holidays, ice, snow (if you live in the right parts of the world), fires in the fireplace, afternoons and evenings curled up with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book. Some cozy days, some gloomy days, some sunny days, some grey days. There is a lot about winter to be excited for…and a lot that just makes us feel down and gloomy (especially if you are not a fan of winter…and live somewhere where winter is really blah).

But there is good news! When winter starts to get old and get you down, here are some ways to keep up good health and good attitude for these remaining grey winter months:

1. Food

What you eat affects so much. Your health AND your mood. Make sure you are eating good whole foods, no processed foods, sugar and dyes. When consuming fruits and vegetables, make sure you are eating the ones in season. Eating fruits and vegetables out of season can cause a whole lot of other problems. You can check out my article HERE about eating in season, and for a list of good winter produce.

2. Essential Oils

They can’t change the weather, but they can help to boost your mood over the dreary winter months. They can also help to keep up your immune system to make sure you stay healthy…which, for me, is a great mood booster. Some winter oils to place into your diffuser are Peppermint and Lemon, Lavender, Wintergreen and Orange, and…should you want a little taste of spring along with a mood booster, Jasmine is also a favorite.

3. Sleep

All year ’round good sleep is essential to good health and mood. Develop good habits of getting to sleep at a decent time each night and stopping the technology time in bed to get better quality sleep.

4. Embrace Cold Weather

This one may be a little hard for those who don’t like cold weather…but there are a lot of benefits to the cold. Use it as an excuse to move. Get out there and warm up with some exercises like a brisk walk to get the heart rate up and the lungs working. It helps stimulate the brain and help to wake you up and improve mood, trust me. We can’t change the weather or the season we are in, but we can use it to the best of our abilities and embrace all the different beauty and health benefits that God has given each season of the year.

5. Fellowship

When it’s cold and ugly outside we really don’t want to go out. SO! It’s a good excuse to curl up at the house with family (or friends) and play some games, watch a movie, and just enjoy each other’s company. Maybe even with some hot tea or hot apple cider. 😉 Don’t use the cold and blah days as an excuse to isolate yourself. Being around your loved ones can really help to improve your mood (at least, most of the time) 😛

Build a Better Defense and Enjoy Your Winter

January 21, 2018

bigstock--216248908

It’s that time again people! Are you ready for another bout of achy muscles, inflamed sinuses, sore and raw throat, and having to put your life on hold because you are too sick to function? I thought not.

No one likes to spend their winter indoors because they HAVE to. Sure, we don’t mind staying home and lying around from time to time when we have a choice – we aren’t feeling horrible while we do and we can perhaps get some things accomplished off of our to do list.

We also don’t want to create a domino effect and put our whole family in quarantine (have you noticed how powerfully it effects large families?) 😉 Though this seems to be the norm during this time of year, it doesn’t have to be for you. There are some very simple steps you can take to minimize the effects of the winter bug, or even avoid it all together. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Food

80% of the immune system is in the digestive tract. One of the biggest defense tools you can give your body is filling it with lots of good superfoods and staying away from foods that weigh your body down and weaken your defense walls. So load up on some vitamin c, green leafy vegetables, probiotics and even some bone broth (smoothies are awesome). Be sure to chew well so it is easier for you to digest… and eliminate. Hydrate well, guys!

Stay away from those foods that can irritate the gut such as processed/fried foods, sugar and artificial sweeteners.

2. Exercise

It’s generally not thought about, but getting exercise can help you sleep better. It also helps increase circulation and keep your body in good strength for its defense. So keep up that daily workout routine! It will also help keep you warm, if you are not a fan of cold weather. 😉

3. Essential Oils

There are several essential oils that can help build up your immune system AND help build you up while you are down with the bug. 😉  Peppermint, Eucalyptus and Lemon are some of my favorites.

Peppermint and Eucalyptus help to clear the airways and can also help to relax your muscles. Plus, peppermint always smells amazing. 🙂

Lemon helps with lymphatic drainage and can help settle your stomach.

*Not every oil is going to work the same way for every person. Muscle testing is a great way for you to find out what oil your body needs. Contact me if you want to know more about muscle testing with oils.

4. Sleep

Getting your rest is an important part of staying healthy. If your body is too tired, it has no energy left to fight off illness. I know it is hard (I’m still trying to teach myself), but sometimes you should just turn off your computer, put away your work and get some sleep.

 

So go out there and enjoy your winter!

Cultivating Your Cootie Cloud

December 11, 2015

The idea of cleanliness has been drilled into us. Wash your hands! Don’t get sick! Sanitize everything!

I encourage you to buck the trend and get your cootie on! Don’t be afraid of getting sick–it’s actually kind of good for you. After all, there is a reason why children are always getting sick: their bodies are encountering new bacteria and learning how to fight them off. Their body is still learning, just as they are. Each little cold helps teach the body how to better handle the next one and if something formidable tries to infect the body, a well developed microbiome will give one better odds in the battle.

What is a microbiome, you ask? It is the genetic material found within an individual microbe such as a bacterium, fungal cell, or virus. It also refers to the bacteria of the intestines. The microbiome is the savvy ecosystem in your body that is not “you” but beneficial “guests” that live inside the big bag of cells your skin holds in. It plays such an important role that it  has been linked to internal detoxification, cell replication, immune function, and can even affect mental health! Good microbes can ward off the bad ones. Good microbes can make you brilliant. 😉 OK maybe not, but having that mindset..

When a baby is born vaginally, it gulps essential microbes as it leaves the birth canal seeding it’s gut flora. It gains more immunity through breast feeding as well as further building the microbiome. God put that system in place for more than bonding (which is crucial!). It is the essential beginning of getting the right microbial balance for that tiny person’s whole life.

An interesting thought is that for every one cell in your body there are 10 microbes!!! That’s right, your ecosystem is 10x bigger that your tissues!!

The more support you can give your microbiome, the better prepared it is for the bad cooties. Here is what I do at home: Wash my hands when they are sticky or have been elbow deep in raw chickeny kind of things. If my kids sneeze, I don’t race to the sink (Unless there is something visibly unpleasant about it). When I go out in public, I shake hands with people and hug them. I put my hands directly on the shopping carts. I do not use hand sanitizer. I let myself get cold. I let myself get hot. I eat good nourishing food and drink lots of good water.  If I get sick, I allow the fever and rest. And I am not angry with my body because IT IS WORKING! It means my immune system is doing exactly what it was designed to do. Applause and gratitude should always accompany a nap and a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. Your body has work to do but it is also LEARNING how to fight. Your attitude about what your body is handling can affect your recovery process as well!

Now, if you are going to take my advice, some common sense is necessary. Some illnesses cannot be fought by your body alone. Take care of yourself and always know when to see a doctor.