Frankincense
I love the essential oil ‘Frankincense’. It smells wonderful combined with wild orange and peppermint. When I feel a headache coming on I use a drop of Frankincense, peppermint and lavender, rubbing it on my temples and the back of my neck. The above video clip gives a more information on this oil.
Image by Lady Disdain
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rilmara/5002556311/
4 Cups Rolled Oats (or Quick Oats)
4 Cups of Low Fat Milk (or Soy Milk)
1/4 Cups Oil
2 tsp Salt
Mix ingredients and let stand overnight, or until thickened. Whip with whisk. Spread on hot greasedwaffle iron. Bake until browned. EASY HUH?
Mind, Body, and Spirit
When considering wellbeing, think of your physical, emotional and spiritual self as a 3 legged stool. When one of those aspects of your life is off balance you are going to fall. You can be in top physical shape but if you are an emotional wreck, you fall. You’re spiritually will suffer if you are not taking care of yourself physically etc.
We know that stress causes emotional, physical and spiritual troubles.
A few of the causes of stress:
There are ways to attack stress:
A few of the benefits of exercise
Ezra Taft Benson, talk given at President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s second annual Council on Physical Fitness, Cascade, Maryland, September 8, 1958.
A Happy Marriage
Before you were married (those of you who are married), did you ever think two people could be so different? What’s not to love about shopping? Did you know there was such a thing as ‘man‘ food? Or find it downright fascinating that someone won’t turn on the car and start backing out when we are talking. Those, of course, are a female’s point of view. Obviously the males could come up with some good lines too. Marriage has many facets. One way to help keep things blissful, is laughter. This video is hilarious. I need my married kids to watch this! Even if you have seen this before, it is worth watching again. Maybe it will clue us in a little bit on those differences between the sexes.
Drink Water! “Water (check out the link) is your body’s principal chemical component and makes up about 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.” …Mayo Clinic
Weight loss
One of the benefits of drinking water is you are replacing high-calorie drinks such as juice or soda. Often when we think we are hungry, we are actually thirsty. With water having no calories, it makes a perfect choice and can help suppress appetite when drinking it before eating.
Energy
If you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Dehydration can leave you feeling tired. Water helps rev up energy.
Headache
Another symptom of dehydration is headaches. Obviously, there are many reasons for headaches, but dehydration is a common cause.
Skin (check out the link)
Drinking water can clear up your skin and people often report a healthy glow after drinking water. If there is a buildup of toxins that have not been properly eliminated via kidneys they get flushed through the skin and acne results.
Digestion
Water, along with fiber can help with constipation, which is often a result of dehydration. Our digestive system needs plenty of water to digest food properly. Also, water can help cure stomach acid problems.
Cleansing
Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from the body.
Kale. What a super food! It is so rich in vitamins-A, in particular. I grow this right outside my backdoor so I can quickly pop outside and grab a few leaves to add to salad. An herb garden close to your home is wonderful for convenience in adding fresh herbs to your diet. Grow it right outside your back door if you can. The more convenient they are, the more you will end up using the fresh herbs. My favorites are parsley, rosemary, oregano, basil, chives, and mint. I have a fabulous strawberry mint recipe I got from my sister-in-law, who is an amazing cook, and who also happens to have my same first and last name! That recipe will be in a following post. REMEMBER, CONVENIENCE IS KEY!
Tuscan Kale Chips
(Adapted from Bon Appétit)
A bunch of Tuscan kale leaves (also referred to as lacinato kale), rinsed, dried and thick part of stems cut off
olive oil
salt
Preheat oven to 250°F. Toss kale with oil in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Arrange leaves in single layer on 2 large baking sheets. Bake until crisp, about 30 minutes for flat leaves and up to 33 minutes for wrinkled leaves. Transfer leaves to rack to cool slightly then dig in!
A reminder about POSTURE…
Alkaline or Acid?If you are eating too many acidic foods you may be setting yourself up for illness. Here is a list of alkaline and acid foods. Lists don’t always agree but this list will give you a general idea of what you need to be eating more of. You may be eating all the wrong foods.
It is amazing how much better you feel when you eat more alkaline foods.
Everything is flowing smoothly as your day takes off. The kids are about ready to head out the door to school and you have a day ahead of you that is filled with a myriad of different things. All of a sudden, one of the kiddies complains they have a tummy ache. I can tell you on a number of occasions this has happened to me. I rub a couple of drops of Digestzen essential oil on their tummy and it doesn’t take long before they say they feel fine. Peppermint can help with that also. I think the Peppermint smells a lot better but sometimes the Digestzen is more effective. Give it a try!
Can I just say that I LOVE Essential oils. So often I am able to treat various ailments with them and not resort to regular medication. Even the kids come to me for ‘oils’ instead of the regular meds.
Peppermint is one of my favorite oils. It has a nice smell and helps with a number of problems. If I have an upset stomach I will first try putting a drop on my tongue. If that doesn’t do the trick, I rub the Digestzen on my abdomen. Peppermint also eases my headaches. I get frequent headaches, often rubbing the peppermint on the spot and the back of my neck will take the edge off. I will mention that I like layering Peppermint, Frankincense, and Lavender for the headaches. An added bonus of the Peppermint on the tongue is it gives you nice breath. The kids say the Peppermint is hot on their tongue so use care.
The glorious sun.. Sunshine is good for you in many ways. Obviously, we need to be cautious with the danger of skin cancer. Here are some wonderful benefits of partaking of the gift of sunshine:1. We get a large portion of our Vitamin D from the sun. Vitamin D is essential for absorbing calcium; in essence it helps keep bone and teeth healthy.
2. Sun can boost our level of serotonin, which is a happy hormone. Mayo Clinic explains serotonin here.
3. The higher serotonin levels due to sun exposure help suppress appetite.
3. Being outside in sunshine warms your muscles which can reduce pain and stiffness.
4. A small amount of sun exposure (5 -15 minutes) unprotected can aid in later protection from sunrays.
5. Sunrays can aid in treating jaundice.
6. Sun helps the kidneys through the elimination of waste with sweating.
7. Studies have shown that lowered levels of Vitamin D can cause a rise in Cholesterol levels.
My husband and I feel so proud of ourselves when we get our 15 or so minutes of sunshine!