Embracing Self Care

“It takes courage to demand time for yourself. At first glance, it may seem to be the ultimate in selfishness, a real slap in the face to those who love and depend on you. IT IS NOT! It means you care enough to want to see the best in yourself and give only the best to others.” ~ Shale Paul

“If you are not taking care of yourself; body, mind, and spirit, the people in your life don’t get the best of you, they get what’s left of you!” ~ Lorraine Cohen

As women, we tend not to take care of ourselves, putting everyone else’s needs before our own. We are more about “embracing extreme self-neglect.”

In effort to fully embrace who we were created to be: women of passion and purpose, though sometimes that may look a little misty. To get clear on what our intentions for self-care are, we need to begin with self-care intention guided visualization.

One of the ways to take care of ourselves is to stay in the present moment. This is difficult to do if you are prone towards worrying about the future and fretting over the past.

The past has NO power and the future has NO presence
This behavior leads to fears, stress and anxiety. When we catch ourselves in one of those mental spaces, we must remember. One of the main reasons we get out of alignment with who we really are – which includes ignoring our self-care – is that we have stopped remembering.

Remember what? Remember who we truly are. The opposite of remember is not forget – We become ‘super hero’s’- scattered here and there, masters of multi-tasking. In order to pull ourselves together again and become whole, we must remember. What we are remembering is a feeling – the feeling of being whole and present.

Living your life for others is a very worthy sentiment. How can you care for others…when you are not taking care for yourself? Always putting others first can make you a doormat to be trodden on. Putting yourself and your need to rest, relax, have fun sometimes, and so on, will make you a better carer, provider or parent because you’ll be healthier and have more energy.

Here are some self-care practices that you can do on a daily basis in order to maintain a sense of peace and wholeness.

1. Set your self-care intention. Always begin your day intentionally. Remind yourself of your self-care feeling. The balance needed are these components:

• Harmony
• Balance
• Healthy lifestyle of exercise
• Beauty
• Inner Strength
• confidence
• self esteem

2. Three things you are grateful for. Start small, start with the basics: health, home, nourishment, friends, family, work…

3. Find a nutritious support person to check in with – this could be a good friend, an accountability partner, a life coach, a mentor – you don’t have to go through this transition alone; and creating new habits is transition. You can set up a time, preferably weekly, to get together.

KNOW YOUR OWN WORTH…KNOW YOUR OWN POWER

A few more things to remember; One of the things I have tried very hard to eliminate from my life is negativity. Negativity is nothing but toxic energy. This toxic energy can come in the form of toxic people, or energy whose only job is to suck and drain the life out of you; or toxic situations. When I find myself in one of these toxic environments, be it with people or circumstances, if I cannot turn the situation around, then I merely excuse myself and remove myself.

What you really want is to be surrounded by people you trust and treasure and people that cherish you.

“Breathing in I calm my body. Breathing out I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is a wonderful moment!” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

When you are in doubt, when you feel frustrated, when you are angry, stop… and take a breath. Breathing is the one thing you can do anywhere at any time. It does not cost you anything, but it may gain you much. Remember that stopping is a spiritual action; and so is breathing.

Once you have made the decision to do so, these three practices will easily incorporate into your everyday life.

Set the intention to embrace extreme self-care!
Taking care of yourself is vitally important to a happy survival and by no means selfish.
Keep in mind that if you are happy, you will treat others with respect and respect is earned, not given. By not being happy, you become irritable creating a tendency to disrespect others. Disrespecting someone only creates negative consequences and so amplifies your unhappiness.

If you feel you don’t trust people, you are insecure in your own world and need to balance the three components. If you are worried about what everyone else is doing, you also need to even the scales as this shows a failure to do what you need to be doing.

If you are married, you must be able to keep your identity, do the activities you love, and take care of your needs emotionally and physically. Don’t fall into the trap of being detached from yourself by constantly focusing on fulfilling other’s needs while ignoring your own. If you have children, there is no reason why you cannot take care of yourself first. Enjoy time as a family but step out, take a walk, take a class, or have lunch with friends every week as this balances your life and creates happiness.

“Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours.” ~ Swedish Prove

Be mindful on purpose.

Live passionately… what else have you got to do!

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Christine is a certified life coach for women. She is the founder of Girltime Coaching and also writes her blog, Live Passionately.

Stop Self-Destructive Behavior

For some reason, stress doesn’t motivate us take better care of ourselves. In fact, it tends to do the opposite.

Instead of eating enriching foods, exercising, and getting support from friends, we backslide from our healthier habits.

Men reported that when stressed, they either drink more alcohol or watch more television. Women reported that their top two stress behaviors are exercising less and eating more junk food. No one needs to be reminded that none of the above behaviors is likely to make you feel better! In fact, these behaviors are destined to make you feel worse. Remember, being in a care giving role can make one feel overwhelmed by life’s events. Often, when faced with the stress of taking care of a very ill or aging family member, a caregiver may neglect his or her own health. Binging on junk food, smoking, lounging around are all means that the stressed-out caregiver may use to relax. Of course, the short term relief from these tactics is horribly outweighed by their long-term consequences.

Indulgences
It’s natural to be tempted to indulge when stressed and in fact, some indulging habits are probably good for you. The last thing a caregiver needs to hear is eat only good food, eliminate caffeine, no alcohol, and exercise seven times a week! Write lists with your patient’s needs, you should also build a list of your own needs.

• You need good quality rest.
• You want well-prepared, healthy food.
• Your body deserves some exercise.
• You are entitled to having fun.

Then follow through on your own needs just as carefully and diligently as you do for the patient.

What can you do about destructive habits that you seem unable to change? Take smoking for example. Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances, harmful to the smoker and others. But it may also be one of the few things offering you comfort. How can you balance your need for comfort with the need for better health?

The answer is by reducing quantity. Smoking two packs a day is worse than a few cigarettes a day. Eating a box of cookies is worse for you than a couple of cookies. So if stopping the behavior cold turkey isn’t an option for you, work on decreasing the frequency of the behavior.

Know Your Triggers
Identify what triggers your unhealthy behavior by keeping a diary for a period of time. Every time you feel the need to light up a cigarette/grab the box of cookies/search for the bottle of gin, write down what’s going on in your life at the moment. Most likely, you eventually will see a pattern of behavior.

Counteract Your Triggers
Once you have discovered your triggers, decide how to counter them. Make a list of your coping skills, which might include calling a friend, reading some email jokes, logging onto an online support group, taking a walk. Also make a list of rewards- watching a favorite taped TV show, playing solitaire, calling a good friend long-distance.

Approach the issue with two solutions. When you experience your trigger, try instead to use one of your coping skills. If you succeed in not drinking/eating/smoking, you get your reward.

We all need comfort in our lives, especially under stress. Try to maintain a healthy balance that works for you, as you try your best to maintain quality care for your loved one.

Old conditioning can sometimes take a while to re-educate, so we must be loving and patient with ourselves during this transition, but it is important to recognize destructive behavior for what it is, so that it doesn’t perpetuate itself unnecessarily.

Live Passionately,

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Christine is a certified life coach for women. She is the founder of Girltime Coaching and also writes her blog, Live Passionately.

Moderate Alcohol Intake Associated with Higher Levels of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

A recent European study, IMMIDIET has found that moderate alcohol intake, most particularly wine intake, is associated with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in plasma and red blood cells.

IMMIDIET examined 1604 people from three different geographical areas, southwest London in England, Limburg in Belgium and Abruzzo in Italy. Through a comprehensive medical examination as well as a one year food frequency questionnaire to assess their dietary intake, including alcohol, IMMIDIET found that moderate alcohol consumption works like a trigger in the body, boosting the count of omega-3 fatty acids in our systems.

Omega-3 fatty acids are mainly found in fish and while many of us have probably heard of these fatty acids, it could be potentially dangerous to our health to not know how important they are to our diet. Due to their high blood concentration, omega-3 fatty acids are highly protective against coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, as well as sudden cardiac death. The leading cause of death in women today is heart disease, so we can easily see the affect that omega-3 fatty acids have on our bodies and we can also easily see that women are obviously not receiving enough of these vital nutrients that could potentially save lives.

If you aren’t a big fish eater you are most likely not receiving the amount of omega-3’s you could be putting into your system, but because of this study all of you non-fish-eaters can receive the correct amount of these acids just by having a glass of wine. It has been proven that moderate wine consumption will give you those omega-3 fatty acids your body has been missing due to wine’s polyphenols. Polyphenols are naturally occurring compounds contained in a variety of foods and beverages, such as wine. Due to the antioxidant activity of wine, it is able to reduce the oxidation process caused by free radicals. This study has opened a wide door in the field of cardiovascular prevention.

Although this study looks very promising and will prevent heart disease, we must remember that this isn’t a get out of jail free card to alcoholism; the key word used in the study and within this article regarding alcohol consumption is moderate. It is important to make sure that you are not shocking your body, especially if you are not a frequent or social drinker to begin with and it is especially important to keep our bodies as well as our minds the healthiest that they can possibly be. In order to effectively prevent cardiovascular disease and keep your heart and body strong, women are urged to only drink one glass of wine per day and men are limited to two glasses.

To carry on the research, married couples have been recruited in the same three European areas.

Caught: Kristen Stewart

Twilight’s Kristen Stewart was recently photographed smoking a bowl on her front porch. The internet has been crazy the past few days with people speculating about it… I figured it was time to put in my two cents.

Leave the poor girl alone, for Christ’s sake! She’s an eighteen year old in California. It’s okay for everyone to gather on Hippie Hill and smoke bongs all day, but this girl can’t sit on her front porch and toke a tiny bowl? Why? Because it doesn’t make her a good role model?

Bullshit. Millions of people smoke pot - tons of celebrities included (Johnny Depp, Charlize Theron, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, I could go on for days…) - and it doesn’t make them any less human.

So what if it’s illegal? There are only 13 states that prescribe marijuana, legally, as a medication. That hasn’t stopped anyone in the other 37 states, has it? (Go ahead and act like you’ve never smoked pot before.) You’re only making a big deal out of it because she’s newly famous.

Get off her back. Let her make her own decisions. She’s a big girl; I’m sure she can deal with the consequences.

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Ally is a girl from New York who writes Sweet Leaf Tribune, an informational blog about marijuana law reform and cannabis culture, as well as medical marijuana, recipes for ‘baked’ goods, stoner how-to’s, and a lot more.

Celebrate Your Greatness

When we recognize our desire to matter, to make a difference, when we are in touch with the yearning in our hearts to be a contribution to life, we want to be worthy of that charge. We become aware of our talents, the possibilities that we have to make a difference in the lives around us whether in small daily actions or in large strokes. We feel a part of the world around us and want to do our part to make it a better place. We start to develop our gifts and remove the blocks to being the best person we can be…

Personal Power

What does it mean to stand in your own power? Personal power is an inner awareness that makes us feel in control of our lives. It is an inner knowing that we can achieve our goals, a calm conviction about who we are and our ability to get the things we want in life. When you are empowered you feel alive, strong and have clarity. You have a vibrant energy! We trust ourselves to make choices that are in our best interest.

To stand in our power we must be bold and confident and have the courage to stand up for ourselves. Standing in our power demands that we be vulnerable, listen to our inner voice, and take risks outside our comfort of what we know. Personal power gives you the inspiration to fulfill your desires in direct alignment with your vision.

Confidence

People with a highly developed sense of personal power have the self-confidence to engage in life with integrity, open perspectives, and with full awareness about themselves. Your beliefs, attitude, mindset and so on conspire to create your reality.

In order to become our very best from the inside out, we need to identify obstacles and the biggest hurdles we have as women – come from the inside.

The Most Common Internal Obstacle: We let fear take over

Women become paralyzed in their lives and let themselves go because of an underlying fear. A fear of rejection, a fear to accept how they really feel about themselves, a fear of facing the idea that they aren’t enough, a fear of accepting how others may feel about them. They let the fear take over and let other people determine their own self worth.

Give yourself permission not to be superwomen… As a way of honoring yourself, I encourage you to practice some of these self care strategies that have been helpful for me and my clients:

1. Give yourself permission to add self care to your life. It’s OK for it to be all about you sometimes. Think of self care as any act of nurturing, meaning anything that enhances your level of health, wellness and happiness. Look at all areas such as physical, mental, social, spiritual and financial. Paying an overdue bill can do just as much for your level of wellness sometimes as a warm bath.

2. Recognize and blast the barriers. Ask yourself: what is preventing you from making self care an everyday occurrence? Some of my clients’ barriers that we often work through are feelings of guilt, lack of time, finances, lack of support or the need for perfectionism. If any of this ring true for you, take some time to determine a plan as to how you can overcome them. As Dr. Phil says…”You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge”.

3. Ditch the Superwoman Syndrome. This syndrome is adding unnecessary stress and sickness to our lives. We place such unrealistic expectations on ourselves. The guilt we feel often fuels this Superwoman Syndrome. Start letting go of your mental chatter; practice saying No and remember no one’s life is perfect.

4. Remember that small acts of kindness and compassion can have big pay offs.

5. Allow yourself to dream. If you are craving something new in your life, ask yourself what are some of the dreams you have been putting off.

6. Having a healthy perception of life and a positive attitude is one of the best self care strategies you can practice. A daily reflection of gratitude and appreciation goes a long way toward improving yourself care, your self worth, and your whole life.

Honor yourself from a place of kindness and gentleness. We do what we know to be the best at the time. Forgive yourself when needed and celebrate yourself whether you think you need it or not. We all deserve to be celebrated.

Live passionately… what else have you got to do!

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Christine is a certified life coach for women. She is the founder of Girltime Coaching and also writes her blog, Live Passionately.

What Deodorants Live Up to their Hype?

As a woman who found herself consistently being failed by deodorants, I know how hard it is to find a deodorant that actually works and left me still dry and smelling fresh at the end of the day. Most women think that they sweat more than the average woman because as women, we are sometimes too embarrassed to talk openly about deodorants, sweat and basically any bodily function that isn’t considered “lady-like.”

So what deodorants lived up to their hype and what deodorants crashed and burned?

Crystal Body Deodorant:

Form:
Stick solid

Pros:
Dries immediately, 100 percent natural, no clothing stains or irritation, aluminum-free

Cons:
Unconventional form, no antiperspirant, no 24-hour protection, slightly high price

Dove Ultimate Clear:

Form:
Stick solid

Pros:
Blocks perspiration, moisturizing formula, low price, no irritation, variety of scents (unscented available)

Cons:
No 24-hour protection, debatably pleasant scents, some clothing stains and balling up reported

Tom’s of Maine Natural Long-Lasting Deodorant Stick:

Form:
Stick gel

Pros:
Natural, soft formula, no clothing stains or irritation, variety of scents (unscented available), aluminum-free, low price

Cons:
No antiperspirant, some strong scents, drying time required, no 24-hour protection

Kiehl’s Superbly Efficient Antiperspirant & Deodorant:

Form:
Cream

Pros:
Blocks perspiration, moisturizing formula, unscented, no clothing stains or irritation

Cons:
Unconventional form, drying time required, no 24-hour protection, high price, limited availability

Secret Clinical Strength:

Form:
Stick solid

Pros:
Lasts more than a day, dries immediately, soft formula, no clothing stains or irritation

Cons:
High price, bedtime application recommended

I hope that this list of deodorants helps when trying to choose the right product for you. I have personally tried more than a handful of different deodorants and antiperspirants and know how hard it is to find the right one that works just the way you need it to. If you have tried any other products that you have loved and want to spread the word about, leave them in the comments!

Ditch those Nasty Nappies

Did you know that babies go through about 6,700 diaper changes? Did you also know that for every 10,000 babies who use disposable diapers, we are filling up 113 dump trucks by the time those babies are potty trained? And all of those dump trucks have one destination–Landfills. Depositing 6,700 diapers per baby into landfills and letting Mother Earth become rich in waste and disease is horrible for the planet we all live in.

In 1998, the Environmental Protection Agency gathered information and statistics on disposable diapers and found that diapers alone made up 3.4 million tons of waste and makes up 2.1% of the United States’ garbage. That is a whole lot of dirty diapers! While those statistics were taken over 10 years ago, the recent baby boom we have experienced within the last three years will prove to be even more hazardous to the planet, making up an even higher percentage of waste. Even worse, each diaper takes approximately 500 years to decompose. While I’m sure none of us would like 6,700 dirty diapers (per child in our household) sitting in our back yard for the next 500 years, why do we see nothing wrong with letting it sit in the same Earth we get our food and water from? Just because we can’t see it and don’t have to look or smell it every day, someone out there does and neighborhoods with a landfill near by also see a rise in disease, the most prominent and life-threatening being a myriad of types of cancer. Disposable diapers are also made with harsh chemicals that can harm your baby’s sensitive skin and because of its synthetic texture, disposable diapers are not comfortable, and babies are prone to develop rashes or allergies and we don’t want that!

So what can we do about it the 3.4 tons of waste and counting while also giving our children a healthier diaper that won’t harm their skin? Give reusable diapers a chance!

While it is easy to become overwhelmed when thinking about switching from disposable to reusable diapers, gDiapers offers a great starter kit idle for easing you into the transition due to the fact that they are flushable, decomposable diapers. There are many other options out there for your reusable diapering needs such as Fuzzi Bunz, Under the Nile and Nature BabyCare. Whatever brand you choose, you cannot go wrong when making the decision to give your baby a healthier, safer diaper choice and take a little pressure off Mother Nature.

10 Steps to Stay Healthy and Fit this Winter

There are a lot of small steps and extra efforts anyone can do to make their day a little brighter and healthier.  A better diet, daily routine and mindset are all ways to stay healthy this winter. You don’t even have to wait for the winter to do this as you can start this whenever. However, remember the first step is starting today…not tomorrow!

1. Keep water with you at all times.
2. Take a multi-vitamin that assists with your goals.
3. Eat smaller portions. You don’t have to eat that whole bag.
4. Don’t pick off your kids’ plates, their food has calories, too.
5. Keep low calorie, healthy snacks in easy to reach places.
6. Play with your kids.
7. Go the distance. Take the stairs or park farther away.
8. Do house work or yard work.
9. Take your iPod for a walk.
10. Take up a routine (yoga, pilates, aerobics).

Keep water with you at all times.
Water is the perfect drink. It hydrates you and has no calories at all. Keeping water with you all day helps in many different ways. Having it with you keeps you drinking it. By simply having a bottle of water at your desk you’ll grab for it without even thinking. Water also helps to detox that coffee you had earlier. Strive for 8 glasses of water a day to keep down water weight and you just might notice you don’t have much room left for that soda.

Take a multi vitamin that assists with your goals.
Vitamin companies got smart, they started labeling their vitamins for what they can do. One A Day has a line of vitamins like “Women’s Health” and “Weight Smart” to make it easy to tell what they can do for you. Whether your goal is to be more energetic in your active life or to speed up your metabolism, there’s a vitamin out there that can help you get there.

Eat smaller portions.
Something as simple as eating off a smaller plate can make a world of difference. When you were little you were told to clean your plates, and now you do. But the plates are much bigger. Try and cut down your portions, chances are your eyes are bigger than your stomach. And when you’re eating out, don’t be afraid to ask if you can eat off the kids menu (especially for dessert).

Don’t pick off your kids’ plates, their food has calories, too.
One thing I used to do without noticing was eat off my kids plates. They get wonderful things like corndogs and fries. But, just because they can eat fried food and be perfectly fine, doesn’t mean I can. If you are going to pick off their plates, make sure you take those calories into consideration.

Keep low calorie, healthy snacks in easy to reach places.
In my car door I have a pack of Teddy Grahams. Within sight in my fridge, the first thing I see, is a 1 serving pack of carrots. The best way to keep yourself from eating things that aren’t good for you is to keep those healthy snacks within reach. Unfortunately, Doritos are harder to leave in your desk for a week than grapes, so it does take a bit of an effort.

Play with your kids.
We all play with our kids, but we could definitely do it more. When they go ride bikes, join them. If you don’t have a bike, take a book outside. You’re being with your kids and getting out. You spend all day inside the house or a job, it can be a great release to simply get outside.

Go the distance.
Taking the stairs or parking farther from the store can make more of a difference than the time it takes to do it. The best way to see what a difference it makes is to buy a heart rate monitor and wear it all day. Since that’s pretty much out of the question for most people, try getting a step counter. Measure your steps on a normal day, then measure your steps on a day when you try these tips.

Do house work or yard work.
You clean your house and take care of your yard, but you could do more. Redecorating or landscaping can be fun and very good exercise. At the end you have a sense of accomplishment and will probably feel a nice burn.

Take your iPod for a walk.
Walking with your kids and your dog is nice. It’s time with your family. But sometimes you need some time for just you. So load up your iPod with your favorite music and go for a stroll. When walking alone you’re more likely to speed it up because you’re not talking (and therefor breathing more steady) and you don’t have to stop for your dog to pee in every yard.

Take up a routine (yoga, pilates, aerobics).
Yoga has been my one true love. At 6am I wake up, before anyone else, and go down to do yoga on Oxygen. I’ve noticed a few differences including better weight management, better mood throughout the day, and better eating habits. Exercise in the morning is best, but if you don’t have time the afternoon can be good as well. If your job offers you a free gym membership take advantage of those classes. Pick your goal and the workout that will help you get there.

Healthy Three-Pepper Pasta Topping

Bell peppers are great for you, yet not so many people eat them as much as they should. They contain high levels of Vitamin C which can act as an anti-inflammatory to decrease symptoms of arthritis. They also contain carotenoid compounds, which may enhance vision and decrease the risk of cataracts.

So here is a recipe for a delicious pasta topping using three peppers to help your health.

You will need:

• one yellow, red and green bell peppers
• extra-virgin olive oil
• whole-wheat pasta

1. Cut yellow, red and green bell peppers into thin strips.
2. Saute 1 cup of peppers in 2 teaspoons of olive oil.
3. Toss peppers with cooked whole-wheat pasta (2 ounces dry).

Extra-virgin olive oil is rich in polyphenol compounds, which help increase good HDL-cholesterol levels and decrease bad LDL levels.

Acne Treatment

Most people go through that awkward acne stage; most people also go through the agonizing experience of trying every face wash, exfoliant, moisturizer, cleansing wipes and creams that will get rid of their acne. When it comes to acne treatment, it can really start to feel like you are grasping at straws trying to find a solution. I went through my own awkward acne stage along with a frustrating experience trying to find an acne treatment that would work for me.

It is hard to pinpoint the causes of acne, but in most people, they find that the one thing that is always there is stress. Whether it is stress from school, work, or even from breaking out, acne can easily turn into something you just can’t seem to get rid of. A great way to reduce the amount of breakouts you have is to simply relax. Relaxation and exercise can do wonders for your skin and can also even turn into a skin care regime; keeping your body and mind healthy helps keep your complexion healthy and looking great. However, no matter how healthy you are, you may end up with a case of acne if someone in your family, especially a parent, had acne or still experiences adult acne; genetics is a big determining factor.

There are countless products on the market today to help ease, get rid of and treat acne for good but when it comes to acne treatment, there are so many options to the point where there are too many and while you may feel like you’re in the dark when trying to pick a few to try, it is best to start reading reviews and see what has worked for the most amount of people.

An effective treatment for chronic acne that is completely natural and is said to work better than a run of the mill acne cream is Acnezine. Acnezine is a dual cream and pill that work together to completely rejuvenate your skin from the inside out.

Acenzine not only sounds like a miracle formula, but it has been tested and reviewed and is considered to be the most effective product on the market today.

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