You know that feeling you get when you've got "something coming on". For me it's usually a scratchiness in the back of my throat, achiness, a funny feeling in my head and unusual tiredness. I just don't feel right and I know that if I don't give my body some help fighting off whatever is trying to get a hold, I'm going to get sick.
I think I've gotten pretty good at helping keep my body in balance, because except for the mildest of colds, I haven't been sick in the last 10 years. Here's some of the home remedies I use when I feel like "something is coming on".
*Note: This is not intended as medical advice and you should always check with your doctor before trying any home remedies.
1. Raise your body temperature so that you sweat - this works like a fever to kill viruses and release toxins from your body - you can do this by exercising; taking a hot bath with sea salt, tea tree and lavender essential oils; or sitting in a sauna. But don't exercise or use the sauna if you are already feeling sick, use the bath instead.
2. Sleep - if possible take a nap during the day and go to bed early. Sleep is when your body restores and refreshes itself and good sleep is essential for your immune system to function properly.
3. Drink Emergen-C - I like to put it into a glass of warm water and will drink 2 to 3 cups during the day if I feel like my bodies fighting something off.
4. Take Eccinacea - follow the directions on the bottle.
5. Take Vitamin D3 - This vitamin is essential for your immune system and most American living in the Northern Latitudes are deficient in the winter time. Read this article from Dr. Mercola for more information on Vitamin D3 and how to prevent colds. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/12/03/How-to-Prevent-the-Flu-Easy-as-1-2-3.aspx
6. Go Outside - take a walk and breath deeply allowing the fresh air to fill your lungs and nasal passages.
7. Laugh - watch your favorite comedy movie or show. Laughter creates the flood of endorphins that boost your immune system. You know what they say "laughter is the best medicine" they weren't kidding!
Most importantly, if you're feeling a bit "under the weather" slow down and be really kind and gentle with yourself. Most likely your be back "up to speed" and feeling great in the morning!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Days 3 thru 7 - 7 Day Detox
Well I'm back on line after being away for the weekend and I'm here to tell you that it is possible to eat healthfully and follow a detox plan even while traveling, if you plan. I'll explain how I do that in my next post "Tips for Traveling".
Days 3 thru 7 of my 7 day detox basically all went quite well and it's amazing the positive difference that I feel in my body and mood after taking such good care of myself for the last 7 days! My energy levels are high and steady. My skin is glowing. I'm sleeping deeply and soundly and my allergies are 90% better than they were before I started this journey. I feel really, really good and ready to continue with more positive changes in my life.
Here are some notes on each day. Basically each day I ate very close to the first 2 days that I gave detailed menus for in early posts. For the most part Bonnie's Power Oatmeal or Power Breakfast shake in the morning with fruit and coffee; huge salad with grilled meat and homemade soup for lunch; grilled meat, vegetables and salad for dinner. Snacks as needed (see earlier Posts.
One of the things that I did was to make sure that every time I ate, I ate some raw vegetables or fruit with whatever else I was having. I am a big believer in the benefits of "Raw Food" for health and wellbeing. Raw, live foods are filled with enzymes that help with digestion, detoxing and nourishing your body properly.
Day 3 - This was the most challenging day as far as being able to stick to the to the diet. I was having mad cravings for tortilla chips which are my "I can't resist it, I'm addicted, food". I was able to stop the cravings and not give in to the "calling of my addiction" by using EFT tapping. If you don't know what EFT is it stands for Emotional Freedom Technique and it is a simple acupressure tapping technique that is highly effective for dealing with cravings, stress and all kinds of things. If you want to know more check out my website for a free download on using EFT for weight loss and cravings. http://www.justtherightfitsystems.com
Day 4 - Nothing out of the ordinary, the day went smoothly.
Day 5 - I woke up feeling really great this morning. This is the best I have felt in a long while and I noticed that my winter allergies are 90% better than 6 days ago!
Day 6 - I was traveling and away from home and I went to bed late. I woke up feeling tired and I had scrambled eggs and fruit for breakfast instead of my Power oatmeal since I was away from home. It's more challenging to eat well when traveling but it can be done. Eggs and fruit are always a good choice for breakfast (just leave out the homefries and toast). You can always get salads even at fast food restaurants. At nicer restaurants I will usually have grilled meat or fish, steamed veggies and a large salad.
Day 7- This is the last day and I feel really good and it hasn't been that hard to clean up my eating and cut out the processed foods, sugar and grains. I am going to continue on with a slightly modified version of what I've been doing for the last 7 day.
Days 3 thru 7 of my 7 day detox basically all went quite well and it's amazing the positive difference that I feel in my body and mood after taking such good care of myself for the last 7 days! My energy levels are high and steady. My skin is glowing. I'm sleeping deeply and soundly and my allergies are 90% better than they were before I started this journey. I feel really, really good and ready to continue with more positive changes in my life.
Here are some notes on each day. Basically each day I ate very close to the first 2 days that I gave detailed menus for in early posts. For the most part Bonnie's Power Oatmeal or Power Breakfast shake in the morning with fruit and coffee; huge salad with grilled meat and homemade soup for lunch; grilled meat, vegetables and salad for dinner. Snacks as needed (see earlier Posts.
One of the things that I did was to make sure that every time I ate, I ate some raw vegetables or fruit with whatever else I was having. I am a big believer in the benefits of "Raw Food" for health and wellbeing. Raw, live foods are filled with enzymes that help with digestion, detoxing and nourishing your body properly.
Day 3 - This was the most challenging day as far as being able to stick to the to the diet. I was having mad cravings for tortilla chips which are my "I can't resist it, I'm addicted, food". I was able to stop the cravings and not give in to the "calling of my addiction" by using EFT tapping. If you don't know what EFT is it stands for Emotional Freedom Technique and it is a simple acupressure tapping technique that is highly effective for dealing with cravings, stress and all kinds of things. If you want to know more check out my website for a free download on using EFT for weight loss and cravings. http://www.justtherightfitsystems.com
Day 4 - Nothing out of the ordinary, the day went smoothly.
Day 5 - I woke up feeling really great this morning. This is the best I have felt in a long while and I noticed that my winter allergies are 90% better than 6 days ago!
Day 6 - I was traveling and away from home and I went to bed late. I woke up feeling tired and I had scrambled eggs and fruit for breakfast instead of my Power oatmeal since I was away from home. It's more challenging to eat well when traveling but it can be done. Eggs and fruit are always a good choice for breakfast (just leave out the homefries and toast). You can always get salads even at fast food restaurants. At nicer restaurants I will usually have grilled meat or fish, steamed veggies and a large salad.
Day 7- This is the last day and I feel really good and it hasn't been that hard to clean up my eating and cut out the processed foods, sugar and grains. I am going to continue on with a slightly modified version of what I've been doing for the last 7 day.
Friday, January 8, 2010
The Amazing Benefits of Coconut Milk
Some of you may have noticed my recent obsession with coconut milk - it's my new favorite food stuff! Here's information on some of it's benefits, that I took from an article in "First for Women".
Coconut is nature's only abundant source of lauric acid. The body converts this medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) into monolaurin, a compound that disables nearly 100 percent of harmful viral and bacterial cells to prevent them from replicating. What does that mean to you? It means that rich, creamy coconut milk provides a powerful defense against such winter health woes as flu, strep throat, colds and other respiratory infections.
Japanese scientists have also discovered that MCFAs are shuttled directly to the liver for conversion into energy (instead of fat), speeding up your metabolism for a full six hours!
Also, just one cup of coconut milk packs more brain-boosting potassium than a banana and more energizing iron than a serving of spinach. All of this adds up to a great reason to enjoy this delicious tropical treat! Check out my daily posts for recipes on how I've been using this.
Coconut is nature's only abundant source of lauric acid. The body converts this medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) into monolaurin, a compound that disables nearly 100 percent of harmful viral and bacterial cells to prevent them from replicating. What does that mean to you? It means that rich, creamy coconut milk provides a powerful defense against such winter health woes as flu, strep throat, colds and other respiratory infections.
Japanese scientists have also discovered that MCFAs are shuttled directly to the liver for conversion into energy (instead of fat), speeding up your metabolism for a full six hours!
Also, just one cup of coconut milk packs more brain-boosting potassium than a banana and more energizing iron than a serving of spinach. All of this adds up to a great reason to enjoy this delicious tropical treat! Check out my daily posts for recipes on how I've been using this.
Note regarding the 7 Day Detox days
Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to bring something to your attention, the detox days are not real time and I am posting these days after the fact. Today I am actually on day 5 of my detox plan. It's just amazing to me how much better I am feeling after 4 full days of eating and exercising well. My allergies are 90 percent better than they where when I started 5 days ago! This fact alone motivates me to keep going.
I'm about to go outside now for my Appreciation Walk it's snowing quite hard so I'm really going to bundle up, in fact the inclement weather canceled the fitness class I was suppose to teach this morning. I'm really bumbed about this because I created a new routine that's a lot of fun and I was looking forward to teaching it again. So, I'm going to do it on my own at home - not as fun as a group but I've got to say: "working out is the one thing that I do, that when I'm finished with it, I never say - I wish I hadn't had done that!" I always feel good and I am always pleased with myself after I finish any kind of movement!
Enjoy Your Day!
Bonnie
Just wanted to bring something to your attention, the detox days are not real time and I am posting these days after the fact. Today I am actually on day 5 of my detox plan. It's just amazing to me how much better I am feeling after 4 full days of eating and exercising well. My allergies are 90 percent better than they where when I started 5 days ago! This fact alone motivates me to keep going.
I'm about to go outside now for my Appreciation Walk it's snowing quite hard so I'm really going to bundle up, in fact the inclement weather canceled the fitness class I was suppose to teach this morning. I'm really bumbed about this because I created a new routine that's a lot of fun and I was looking forward to teaching it again. So, I'm going to do it on my own at home - not as fun as a group but I've got to say: "working out is the one thing that I do, that when I'm finished with it, I never say - I wish I hadn't had done that!" I always feel good and I am always pleased with myself after I finish any kind of movement!
Enjoy Your Day!
Bonnie
Day 2 – 7 Day Detox Diet
Well the first day of my detox diet went very well. I didn't really feel hungry or deprived. It actually felt good to eat healthfully and mindfully. It also felt good to be putting the focus on my own personal wellbeing!
6:20 – Get up for the Day – I'm feeling more refreshed then I did yesterday.
Coffee (at least 3 cups drunk black – hey it's organic!) while I do my morning meditation, journaling and tapping
7:30am – I forced myself to take my 10 minute morning Appreciation Walk (see Day 1 for details on how to do this). It felt really good and I was really appreciating how I have created this wonderful place to live where I can walk right out my door and be on a trail in the woods and this lifestyle that allows me to work from home and set my own schedule.
8am – banana and fresh veggie juice
8:30am – I force myself out the door to take may morning
9am – Breakfast - Bonnie's Power Oatmeal. (see recipe on Day 1)
1:30pm - Lunch – butternut squash soup, large salad with mixed greens, peppers, tomatoes, steak
Snack – celery with hummas
Dinner – butternut squash soup with chicken, large salad of mixed greens and tomatoes
Bedtime Snack - I'm hungry so I had a snack of a banana and some date squares.
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