Category Archives: Wellness

Cold & Flu Season

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The cold & flu season are upon us.  It’s a little early this year.  What now?  How to protect yourself naturally?

Here’s  a few tips:

• Wash hands frequently

• Stay hydrated with water & herbal teas

• Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables

• Chicken broth daily, homemade is best

• Rest and get plenty of sleep—in the Fall & Winter at least 9 hrs

• Use a humidifier to increase moisture in your nose and sinuses

 Aromatherapy

 How can essential oils help with cold and flu symptoms?

• Some break down and liquefy mucus

• Some are antispasmodic

• Anti-inflammatory properties

• Anti-allergic properties

• Some are immune stimulants

• Some have  anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties

*At the first sign of a cold or the flu put a drop of tea tree oil on the tongue every 5min, 5-10 times.

Other helpful essential oils: lemon, black pepper, geranium rosemary, sandalwood, clary sage, lavender, frankincense, ravensara, thyme, oregano, peppermint, myrrh and sage, RC

Inhalation: 1 drop each of Eucalyptus Radiata, Peppermint, Tea Tree in a bowl of hot water, put a towel over you head and inhale

Gargle with 2 drops of Sandalwood + 2 drops of Lemon

 OR

2 drops of Cedarwood + 2 drops Eucalyptus in ½ glass of H20

Need an essential oil formula for sinus symptoms or cough? Contact me at sunflowerhw@gmail.com for essential oil recipes

To order essential oils www.youngliving.org/sunflowerhw

 

 

Diet Mistakes

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At any one time 1 of 3 women and 1 of 5 men are on a diet. When it comes to dieting there are a few mistakes we can avoid:

 

  1. Crash diets or fad diets
  2. Wrong diet
  3. Not giving the diet enough time to work
  4. No accountability
  5. Breaking through a plateau

Most people know crash and fad diets don’t work but they want fast weight loss and so millions try them anyway. Before you start any diet read about it, see if it’s safe, effective and worth staying on for a few shorts weeks or forever. I like the forever diets. That way the weight loss is slow and more permanent. Expect to lose 1/2-2lbs per week.

For years I did low fat diets only to maintain my weight and not lose. How frustrating! Once I learned that I’m a carb addict and the way I lose weight is to cut carbs the weight started coming off. Dr. Mercola’s Total Health Cookbook & Program has a short questionaire to help you figure out how you can best lose weight.

Expecting to lose weight fast is unrealistic. It didn’t come on fast and it’s not coming off fast. Give it time to come off. Let’s say you need to lose 40lbs. Then that’s equivalent to about 20-40 weeks for those pounds to come off, then work to maintain.

Starting and stopping a diet is tough on the body. It’s sends mixed messages. Before you start a diet get some accountability i.e a partner, personal trainer, nutritionist, weight loss coach, health & wellness coach (that would be me) or a weight loss program. Journaling and therefore accountability is the #1 way to lose weight. Don’t believe it, look it up. You must have someone to keep you on track. There are smartphone apps for the REALLY motivated persons. I met someone recently who was able to lose weight with an app. It can work. Take a look at this app Lose It!

                                               

What to do when you are stuck at your present weight but still need to lose? Break through a plateau with a change in exercise, increase the time or intensity. Consider a 24-48hr fast of liquids only. You just need to get down 1-2lbs to break through the plateau. That resets the body’s setpoint.

If you are going to through all the effort to lose weight make it count and never give up.

Chronic Health Conditions: What to do now?

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The CDC released a study (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db100.htm) that  reveals 21% of  Americans ages 45-64 have at least 2 of  9 chronic health conditions. That’s a sad statistic that has risen in the past decade.

Those nine conditions are:

  1. heart disease
  2. high blood pressure
  3. diabetes
  4. cancer
  5. stroke
  6. asthma
  7. kidney disease
  8. chronic bronchitis
  9. emphysema.

Prevention is the best but what happens if you already have one or more of these conditions?

I believe you can still improve your health naturally by:

  • eating healthy, eat as many Mother Nature foods as possible, skip the processed stuff
  • stay active, keep moving to get your heart in shape and breath better
  • get your weight as normal as possible (BMI 19-24)
  • drink water, herbal teas, and fresh juices. Sodas taste great but don’t have  any nutritional value
  • deal with stress, get plenty of rest, sleep and relax
  • no smoking
  • let go of emotional baggage and have a positive outlook life
  • smile

 

 

Get more sleep to avoid a stroke

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A new study of 5666 healthy Americans released by the American Professional Sleep Society today  revealed that getting less than 6 hours of sleep a night puts a person 4X at risk for a stroke. A stroke happens when there is decrease blood flow to the brain.  Strokes are the 4th leading cause of deaths in the US. Our bodies regenerate and renew itself when we sleep so it’s important for our overall health to get a good night of ZZZZZZs.

It still amazes me that so many people have trouble sleeping.  It’s like we are all type A personality people driven to take advantage of every waking moment. A few years ago I read a very extensive book on the topic of light and sleep  Lights Out by T.S. Wiley.  Since the invention of electricity we are able to stay up later.  Prior to that people used candles and kerosene lamps which provided minimal light.  Now we can stay up all night if we like listening to music, surfing the net, watching tv, etc.

Here’s a few tips to getting a better night sleep:

  • get up when the sun comes up (the book explains more in detail)
  • practice 10-15 meditation each day ( a time to quiet your mind, no thoughts, just focus on your breathing)
  • do not eat, drink or exercise  2 hours before bedtime
  • 1 hour prior to sleep turn everything off and dim the lights (you can light a candle if you want)
  • listen to white noise or relaxing music

First Light: Best of Golana

(Golana, he is one of my favorites)

Pleasant dreams ………..

 

Dr. Oz Allergy Remedies +

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Dr. Oz was on the Today Show yesterday speaking about mediction-free  solutions for allergies. He mentioned what everyone has figured out, that this is one of the worst allergy seasons.  He suggested wearing sunglasses and a hat to block some of the pollen from your eyes and nose. Also using a Neti pot to rinse the pollen from your nose.

Here’s a couple of other suggestions using essential oils like Lavender, Roman Chamomile or Eucalyptus

  • put a few drops on cotton balls or tissue and breathe in several times a day
  • put 1-2 drops in your palm, rub together, then cup your hands over your nose and  inhale the oils.  You can do that several times a day as well.
  • once or twice a day use a ceramic neti pot and a drop of either oil and rinse out your nose

Click photo for more info....

 

 

Food as Medicine

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The Father of Medicine–Hippocrates said “let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food”.  How is that so?   In modern times medicines are our medicines and not food.  But in ancient times they had an understanding of the powerful healing effects of foods especially herbs.  Not to discount medicines because they have saved many lives but in certain diseases and ailments,  food can also be part of the  healing process.

Starting with heart conditions ♥ which is the #1 killer of Americans

Helpful foods: apple cider vinegar, olive oil, nuts, garlic, almost a vegetarian diet

Diabetes: cinnamon, more vegetables, less fruit, decrease the whites->bread, flour, pasta, rice, potatoes, sugar

Thyroid: coconut oil, sea salt,  kelp & sea vegetables (high in iodine)

Joint pain: fish especially the fatty fish->salmon, mackeral, herring, also  nuts, olive oil, vegetables,  turmeric, skip processed food (they are toxic to joints)

Digestive problems: papaya, pineapple, ginger, mint, honey

Cancer: Foods high in anti-oxidants like fruits, especially berries and vegetables

Here’s some other thoughts:

Eat in moderation. The cultures that are healthier and live the longest eat less food.  Especially as we age we need less food. Plan to have a day when you drink fresh juices or water with lemon  to give the body a break from digesting food.  Digesting food is a huge energy  process for the body.  Every once in a while it needs a break.

Do not eat to close to bedtime.  At night the body is in the repairing, renewing and regenerating mode not the food digesting mode.

What do we eat?  Mostly food from the land-vegetables, fruits, whole grains, herbs, nuts & seeds, meat & seafood.  Eat less processed foods.  Drink mostly water and herbal teas.

And lastly eat to live, don’t live to eat.  Put food in it’s proper place.  It’s main purpose is to give energy to the body. It’s  to be enjoyed because it is very delicious,  but not THE best thing on earth eaten in large quantities.  Life is more than food.

A good resource  when looking for what foods are good for what ailments can be found in  Reese Dubin’s book:  Miracle Food Cures From The Bible. The best part is that you get to eat your healing treatment.

 

Read more ….. 

 

Obesity in America

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A recent survey as reported by the CDC , concludes that the numbers of obese Americans has not changed significantly from 2007-2009. It remains at about 35% for adults and  ~17% for children. The good news is that the number has not gone up .  We still have a lot of work to do in reversing this trend. One thing I love about America is our resolve to never give up. We can reverse this trend.

I want to introduce you to a new system to curb your appetite and lose weight–>Slique™ from Young Living. Slique™ contains the essential oil Ocotea, found to help curb appetite and lower blood sugar. *This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

CLICK FOR MORE INFO…… 

CLICK TO ORDER

 

Accountability and journaling is the #1 way to lose weight. Purchase the Slique™ kit and you will get FREE online support for your weight lost.  I have tons of advice and tools to help you get to your weight loss goals.

CLICK FOR MORE INFO… 

CLICK TO ORDER

Purchase Slique™ Tea and you will get 4 FREE online weight loss sessions.

 

email me for questions sunflowerhw@gmail.com

 

Nice surprise

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I went trail running in the woods near my home in Maryland and to my surprise when I turned the corner, beautiful orange-colored lichen were growing out of a tree stump. They were the only ones I could find on a 3 mile run.  They welcomed me as I started my run and were an inspiration to me. I needed it because mid-way I ran into a couple of guys who were really running as I was jogging or more like trotting along.  I tried to run faster as a way to challenge myself but felt off balance. “Really Brenda,  you’re going to break your neck, trying to keep up with these guys”, I thought to myself. How in the world could those guys run so fast without tripping and falling on the uneven path?

 I saw the funniest bumper stick about running the other day–In my dreams I’m a KENYAN.  Took me a while to get it.  Yeah so I am I (ha ha ha).

 

P.S. Thanks to  those who cleared off the branches and limbs after Hurricane Irene at Meadowside Park. And by  the  way I am in the market for trail running shoes. Any suggestions?

Achew!!!!!! It’s hayfever season

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A couple of days ago one of my coworkers was having a very hard time with her allergies.  Her eyes were swollen and her nose looked like Rudolph from her constantly wiping it (ok TMI, you get the picture).  I wanted to run home and get my bottle of Lavender oil.  The next day I brought her 3 cotton balls doused with Lavender oil in a baggie.  After using one of the cotton balls she felt better after a few minutes.

You can use over-the-counter antihistamines, nasal sprays and do nasal rinses to help alleviate the symptoms of hayfever AND use can use essential oils.  The best are Lavender, Lemon and Roman or German Chamomile.  Use can mix them or use separately.  Inhaling is the easier way, that way it gets straight to your nose.  Another option is to infuse the essential in a  room and hang out there for a while. Put a couple of cottons balls with oils in your pillow.  And you can apply the oils to your forehead

Dealing with allergies during hayfever season should actually start before the pollen becomes a problem.  Start by taking  a bee pollen supplement, eating local honey and taking antioxidants to help  boost the immune system naturally.

One theory I have about hayfever is that we’ve spent way too much time indoors and the pollen just overwhelms us.  I realize that certain parts of the country are definitely worst than others.  I grew up in Florida.  I knew very few people who suffered from allergies.  We didn’t have A/C at home, only school and church so we were forced to breathe natural air. Thank goodness.

 

 

10 General Rules for Healthy Living

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My preferable way to die is just to die, grow old and die ready to leave this earth for heaven.  I may or may not get my wish, but one think I don’t want to do is to kill myself with toxic living.  For as long as I live I want to live well.  There are no guarantees in life but I’ll do my part to stay as healthy as I possibly can. 

Here’s my list of rules for healthy living…….

  1. Eat well, but eat less.  As we get older our caloric needs are less.  In certain cultures the people who live the longest eat less.
  2. Drink plenty of water and herbal teas
  3. Deal with stress
  4. Fast or detox on a regular basis
  5. Sleep well (the body rejuvenates and repairs itself during sleep)
  6. Live with passion
  7. Let go of emotional pain from the past, keep moving forward
  8. Exercise, stay active, keep moving
  9. Have good meaningful relationships
  10. Stay connected spiritually with our Creator

What are your rules for healthy living?