staying healthy

Winter time is always my most dreaded time of the year. While I love the holidays and playing in the snow, it means it is the time for sickness to go around. I am not an advocate for the flu shot, so my family and I take precautions in other, natural ways to keep us healthy. I want to share those with you to hopefully help you through this season!

1. Wash your hands! This is so simple to do. It is the friction of washing your hands that removes the germs. So sing yourself "Happy Birthday" or "A,B,Cs" 2 times through to make sure you are washing long enough.
2. If your ears are hurting, take a couple of ounces of olive oil and throw in a fresh garlic clove. Heat this baby up for 20 seconds in the microwave. Let it cool just a bit to warm. Using a dropper (best) or a Qtip (be gentle and careful!) drop or place the oil into your ears. You can keep it in there with cotton. Gently massage the outside of your ears and from under your earlobe down the side of your neck. Do this a few times a day and the pain will go away! Never save the garlic oil for later. Always make fresh. Garlic is an antioxidant with anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties. If you try this, it will decrease the inflammation and pain even if you do not have an infection.
3. Drink warm fluids. The best is to warm up some water and put lemon and/or honey in it. If you like tea, try some lemon or ginger tea. These have anti-bacterial/anti-viral properties that are great for fighting off bad germs.
4. If you find that you have a sore throat, gargle a few times a day with salt water. Salt draws the moisture out of the area where bacteria likes to set up shop. It is also useful for drawing the moisture out of swollen tissue so the inflammation goes down.
5. For a cough, take a teaspoon of honey or a honey stick! Honey is an anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal. Just be sure not to give this to children under the age of 1.
6. Neti pot- this is the rinsing of your sinuses with salt water. Be sure to use a pre-made packet or make your own! Mix 1/8 to 1/4 tsp of non-iodized salt into 8 oz of warm filtered or distilled water. Do this a couple of times a day to prevent bacteria from staying in there and growing.
7. Good old chicken soup or broth also has some anti-bacterial properties that will help you feel better sooner.
8. Get plenty of rest! You need 7-9 hours a night to stay healthy, so if you are feeling rundown, increase your sleeping time.
9. Drink lots of water. Keep your body hydrated so it can keep fighting against the yucky germs out there!
10. Take a good quality vitamin C supplement. This will give your body needed nutrients to fight against bacteria.
11. Take a good quality probiotic to keep your digestive system running well. By adding more good flora to your gut, you improve your chances of remaining illness free.

Be well!

not so gentle reminders

Today I am grateful for so many things. I know that part of living a fulfilled and balanced life is taking time to reflect on what we are thankful for. I try to do that, but there are times when certain experiences wave a big flag in my face to be grateful for what I have.

This weekend was filled with joy and sadness. Once again I found myself on the receiving end of a phone call that my dad was in the hospital with heart issues. This is not the first time I have received this call. In fact, I have lost count of the number of calls like this I have received. In those moments, I am filled with fear and sadness. Once I acknowledge those emotions, I move on to reflection of my relationship with my dad and find myself so thankful for the time that I have had to spend with him. When I am finally able to talk with him, I am filled with relief, love and gratefulness that my dad is going to be here one more day with me.

This emotion and situation was entwined with the happiness and celebration of my son's birthday. His birthdays always make me reflect on the trials I had in bringing him into this world safely. Seeing the amazing little boy that he is turning into, allowing myself to experience life through his eyes and emotions, and seeing the joy of him playing with his friends and celebrating his day, brings so much joy and happiness to me that my eyes fill with tears of joy and my heart swells with love.

Both of these experiences bring so much vivid emotion to me. At times I feel like I am riding a roller coaster. At times I wish I could get off, but when I ride through the good and bad times I find myself able to reflect and make my list of what I am grateful for. I also find that I have learned so much. I take the positive pieces to incorporate into my life, and I learn from the negative pieces. I am reminded how important my family and friends are to me. I am reminded that I need to eat healthy foods, be active and cherish every moment I have as life can be short and it is so precious. It reminds me of the journey I am on to experience life and find balance.  I have learned the importance of being mindful.

I ask you to take a moment and reflect on your life and what is happening now. Whether it is good or bad, there is a lesson to be discovered. It is your choice of what you do with that learning, but I encourage you to let yourself go with the flow and find your way to living a fulfilled and mindful life.

making my life a priority

With new years come new resolutions. I kept hearing about making un-resolutions this year instead as they might be easier to keep. I think that it is important to make some kind of resolution or better yet - a goal so that one has something to focus on for the year to improve their health and well-being.

This year my goal is to not fill my plate with so much. As I reflected over last year and even years before, I discovered that I was causing myself undue stress with the choices I was  making. My personality tends to be one of if I decide to do something then lets do it all now. I way overextend myself and find that I am irritable, frustrated and moody. Therefore, the first week of January, I decided to take the time to prioritize what I would like to accomplish, and I made myself take things off of my plate. Here are a few steps that I took that are helping and that can help you too!

1. I wrote down everything that I was currently doing and what I wanted to add for the year.
2. I read through my list and asked myself what was most important to me and why
3. The things that I decided were not a priority at this time, I removed from my list or put them in the "parking lot" for later. If the items I took off my list involved others, I had to discuss my decision with those people. I am one who has a hard time not helping others, not doing everything, and asking for help, so some of these were difficult conversations.
4. I asked for love and support from people who are close to me and able to help me move towards accomplishing the things I want to and to help me have patience to wait to do the others things.
5. I wrote down my timeline. This helps give me focus of what I am doing now. I have to learn to focus and live in the present and not worry so much about the future. I was missing out on the experience of the now.

These 5 steps may not seem like a lot, but a resolution or goal does not have to be complicated. In fact, it shouldn't be or it is too hard to accomplish. I also took a week to be thoughtful in my decisions. I did not do this overnight. In fact, I am sure I will tweak it as the year goes on. The most wonderful thing is that since I have done this, doors are opening with opportunities to do the things I love. I have met wonderfully amazing people and can feel the love and support from them. I have also found energy and enjoyment that I haven't had in a very long time. So take some time, organize your life and discover how beautiful you and life are!

Be well!

A new beginning......

Happy new year to everyone! I hope everyone's holiday season was happy and healthy. This time of year is my favorite as we get to spend and make time to focus on our friends and family. The new year reminds me to take a moment to share my gratitude and love for everyone, which makes me feel incredibly happy. It is also the time for me to reflect on my year and determine what I need to work on and to think about where I am at physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It is also the time for me to identify how I want to move forward.

I continue to heal everyday, and that feels WONDERFUL! I am also able to see clients now as a health coach. That is an AMAZING feeling! I can finally work with people like you and help you find your health and well-being in the new year! You can learn more about my programs on my website at www.befreetohealhc.com

Along with these changes, I am going to change up my blog too! I am going to be more consistent on posting in my blog and use this as a place to provide you a resource on alternative healing options, exciting health and wellness information, and to give you inspiration to identify and achieve your goals!

I hope you decide to join me on this journey. This will be an exciting and life-changing year for all of us. So hold onto your hat (or yoga mat) and let's get ready to heal!