Archive | HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Compelling Reasons To Add Honey To Your Winter Healthcare Regimen

Americans consume about 1.3 pounds of honey per person per year. And while most think of the substance as nothing more than a sweet treat, there are actually a surprising number of health benefits of honey that many people overlook. Here are just a few reasons to consider adding honey to your winter healthcare regimen.

Cleans Wounds

It’s no secret that winter weather often comes with an unavoidable and imminent risk of slipping and falling on an icy sidewalk or driveway. Fortunately, the healing powers of honey can work to help you recover from any cuts or scrapes you may have after a fall or other minor injury. While it’s not a miracle cure, it’s antimicrobial properties can help keep wounds clean and heal them faster.

How exactly can you use honey to treat a wound? It’s easier than you think.

“After cleaning the wound, put honey on one side of gauze or a clean cloth, and lay it onto the wound. Or pour a thin film of honey directly onto the wound and put the gauze over that. Either way, seal the honey in with surgical or duct tape on the edges of the bandage. Clean and repeat twice a day,” explains Commonsensehome.com.

Can Improve Oral Health

Many people may be shocked to hear that despite honey’s sugar content, it still has positive oral health benefits. That’s right — the honey present in sugar does not harm your teeth — that is, as long as it’s 100% raw honey. Anything less is almost certain to be mixed with high fructose corn syrup, which is known to cause cavities like other sweeteners.

Raw honey, however, can be used as a form of tooth decay prevention in addition to treating gum disease. According to an AACD survey, virtually all adults (99.7%) surveyed believe a healthy smile is socially important, but it’s undoubtedly medically important as well. And fortunately, certain types of honey are known for their cavity prevention abilities as a result of their microbial properties.

Furthermore, if you have an infection or inflamed area in your mouth, honey can work its antibacterial magic to ease pain and discomfort associated with the infection and help to flush out the bad bacteria that caused it.

Don’t Forget…

Unfortunately, not all honey is created equal. The key to reaping these fantastic health benefits of honey is investing in the right type of honey. As mentioned earlier, it has to be completely raw honey with no fillers such as high fructose corn syrup. Ultra-filtrated honey should also be avoided, since the process of refining it removes many of its healing properties.

Finally, it’s ideal to know exactly where your honey comes from. Always try to buy locally to ensure that your honey is not being altered or processed in any way.

According to current data, the U.S. needs about 52,000 more primary care physicians by 2025 to meet our healthcare needs, and even though honey isn’t necessarily a miracle cure, you never know if it could save you a trip to a healthcare professional this season. Of course, for more severe injuries and health issues, it’s always best to consult a doctor before attempting any DIY treatments.

6 Ways to Boost Your Health and Wellness When Working From Home

Pre-pandemic, up to 50% of the U.S. workforce held a job compatible with remote work. Now, millions of Americans are working from work for the first time. While working from home can certainly make you more productive, it can also take a toll on your health and wellbeing. The lack of physical boundaries between the domestic and the professional can leave you thinking about work when you should be relaxing.

To help give you back some self-control over your wellbeing, here are a few ways you can boost your health and wellness even while working away in your quarantined hobbit-hole.

1. Get your greens in

When you’re working from home, it’s all too easy to forego making a healthy lunch. Instead, you might find yourself reaching for ready-to-go snacks that are high in salt or sugar content so you can quickly get back to work instead of taking the time to really get in the vitamins and nutrients you need for the day. To maintain your health and improve your mood, make sure that you’re not treating your meals like a chore. Opt for organic fruits and vegetables that are good for you that will help your body thrive. Organic veggies also make for great snack options so instead of nabbing a bag of chips or a granola bar on your way to your desk, grab a bag of baby carrots or some cut celery instead.

2. Set up a designated work area

You don’t necessarily need to set up a home office when you’re working at home. But you should definitely have a designated work area. The reason for this is that, once you move away from your work area, you’ll be able to relax. If your work area is also your relaxation area, then thoughts about work will continue to plague you as you try to read or watch Netflix. A designated workspace also helps you keep your professional work organized. Storage and data security are important and you don’t want to mix up work notes with your out-of-work to-do lists.

3. Take active breaks

It’s all too easy to forget about taking a break when you’re working from home, especially if your home is plenty comfortable and cozy. But it’s important to remember that your body needs some rest from sitting for so long. Throughout the day, remember to get up and stretch. Doing a few strengthening exercises during those breaks can also help to get the blood pumping.

4. Avoid work communication during non-work hours

If you have flexible hours, you might feel the urge to use them to stay on the clock on certain days longer than you originally planned to respond to emails and stay in correspondence with co-workers. However, those emails will still be there during the next business day. Remember to clock out of your work mindset at the end of the workday and don’t give in to urges to keep going. Your rest is important.

5. Use a calming app at the end of the workday

When you’re working from home, it can be tricky to separate the professional and the domestic even when you have a separate work area. Consider using an app like Headspace or another calming meditation app to help put your mind at ease after you clock out for the day. Even if you meditate just for a few minutes, the small transition will help you leave your work on the table instead of carrying it with you throughout the rest of the day. Just be sure to check app reviews before you download anything new as some apps have recently been removed from Apple App stores and Google Play.

It can be challenging to help ease your mind and keep your body happy when you’re working from home. By following the tips above, you can help to boost your health and wellness even while remote working.

6. Keep the home clean and organized

We are all influenced by our surroundings. When working from home, the knowledge that there are problems with the home could lead to mental distractions. While a tidy and uncluttered property should be at the top of your agenda, it’s not the only issue. Infestations are another potential problem, not least because they can damage work equipment and cause sick days. Asking how do you get bed bugs? is the first step to stopping the issue. After all, prevention is the best form of protection. Alternatively, if they do enter your home, you must treat the issue ASAP. When your mind is free from distractions, you’ll be far better placed to focus on your work. Perfect.

It can be challenging to help ease your mind and keep your body happy when you’re working from home. By following the tips above, you can help to boost your health and wellness even while remote working.

Stress Relief Tips You Can Use Today

 

Feeling stressed out? Feel like you need a break, but can’t find the time to take one? Here are some simple green tips to help you let go of the stress you are feeling, relax, and say awwww. I do at least one of these things every day, usually more and it really helps to keep my stress level down and positive energy up.

* Grab a steaming cup of coffee, tea, chai, or cocoa and find somewhere cozy and quiet to enjoy just one cup. I start my day with a nice cup of decaf coffee and then have a cup of tea at the end of my workday and it always relaxes me.

* Spend 30 minutes doing an outside activity that you love. Some of our favorites {Jayson and I}are stopping at the driving range to hit a bucket of balls, going for a bike ride, gardening, or taking a walk by the stream. We try to do at least one of these things every night after dinner.

* Spend at least 20 minutes a day getting some type of exercise. My favorites are aerobics, yoga, cycling, and swimming. I exercise every day because I have found it to be the one thing that has the largest impact on my mental and physical well being.

* Take a soothing bath with a relaxing essential oil such as lavender. I don’t do this nearly as often as I would like, maybe once a month because I worry about wasting so much water, therefore it isn’t relaxing for me.

* Curl up in a nice cozy spot with a good book, journal, or your iPod and unwind. Jayson and I read every night and it is much more relaxing than watching TV.

* Enjoy a nice glass of biodynamic or Organic wine on your patio or outside space. My favorites wines are Jayson’s Homemade Wine, Parducci’s, and Quivira Vineyards.

* Snuggle up with your favorite furry friend or loved one. Olive our French Bulldog is excellent for this, bulldogs think they are lap dogs and love to cuddle, Jayson is pretty good at this as well. 

* Spend 15 minutes meditating. Find somewhere quiet, sit, breath slowing (in and out through your nose) and clear your mind of all of the stresses of the current day, this is excellent for relaxation.

How do you relax and free yourself from stress?
What have you found to be the most relaxing activity that you do?

Green Health: 4 Steps to Boost your Immunity

You already have a busy day at work, but then add to the mix, taking the kids to activities, marketing, appointments, preparing meals, doing housework, and all of the dozens of other things that we do every day as a parent. What does this equal? A lot for your body to handle. What can you do to boost your immunity and keep your body in tip-top shape? Here are 4 easy steps to take to boost your immunity, because you don’t have time to get sick, right?

1. Keep your Stress in Check
Think of how you deal with stressful situations. The way that you deal with stress directly affects your immunity. Try to relieve stress by practicing meditation or yoga, doing so several times a week can help to lower stress and boost immunity.

2. You are What you Eat
Eating a well-balanced diet rich in protein, leafy vegetables, low in saturated fats, and high in antioxidants can boost your immunity and your health overall. You can also look into vitamin and mineral supplements to keep your immunity high. Also, try to drink at least 64 ounces of water each day, more if you exercise extensively.

3. Get your Workout on
Getting at least 30 minutes of exercise each day can help you stay healthy and keep your immunity in check. Exercise is also excellent stress and depression reducer. I know from experience!

4. Get Some Shut-Eye
Sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your immunity. You should try to get 8 hours of sleep a night. Remember sleep time is also the time that your body renews itself. Also, you deserve a good night’s rest, it is one of the best things that you can do for your overall well being.

How do you boost your immunity?

Green Nosh: Jayson’s Organic Garden Salsa

This is the time of year when the garden is full of tons of yummy veggies. It is the perfect time to make salsa since most, if not all of the ingredients that you will need are in your own garden. Salsa is also fab to take to a back to school BBQ or just to nosh on while lounging by the pool. Try my husband, Jayson’s, Organic Garden Salsa. This recipe is great to make in bulk because by cooking it, it can be stored by freezing, canning, or bottling, whereas fresh salsa can not be stored for long periods of time. You can freeze for up to 3 months in your kitchen freezer or up to 1 year in a deep freezer. {This is the perfect recipe if you have tons of goodies in the garden but aren’t sure what to do with them.}

Ingredients:
  • 6 cups organic yellow onions (diced)
  • 6 cups organic fresh raw tomatoes (diced)
  • 1/2 bunch organic cilantro (chopped, stems and all)
  • 1o cloves organic garlic (chopped)
  • 3 organic Serrano peppers (for medium to spicy, do not seed.For mild,
  • remove seeds)
  • 4 tablespoons organic extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 organic white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon organic dried oregano
  • 15 ounces organic tomato sauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon organic cumin
  • 1/2 tablespoon organic salt
Preparation:
  • Saute onions and peppers in olive oil until softened. Add all other ingredients and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Let cool and puree in a blender until you reach the desired consistency.

    Yield: 5 large bowls.

Enjoy.
If you try this, let me know what you think.