Detox Your Body and Relieve Muscle Soreness With An Epsom Salt Soak

Epsom Salt is a great way to relieve muscle soreness and flush toxins.  You can buy a box in a pharmacy or grocery store for about $3.00. 

Epsom Salt flushes toxins and heavy metals out of your body, by relieving inflamation.  Epsom salt baths are also a natural diuretic. If you are a little backed up (you know what I mean), take a hot soak and you will be relieved in an hour or so.


Pour about 1/2 cup into a hot bath.  You can also add some essential oil, like lavender or eucalyptus, for aromatherapy.  (You can buy essential oils at Whole Foods.)  While in the bath, stretch with some seated forward bends (hamstrings); cross your ankle over your knee and bend (stretching your hip); twist your spine to one side and the other; etc.

If you are taking an epsom salt bath due to soreness, you will feel some relief within a few hours.  If you take the bath in the evening, you will feel some relief by morning.

Check it out,

Home Fragrance Store

One of my evening rituals is lighting a candle when I settle in for the night.  I love watching the flame and smelling the soothing fragrance.  It helps me unwind.  I find it very relaxing.

Home Fragrance Store has some AMAZING fragrances.  I bought some of at the Nutcracker Market  in Houston.  The company is located in Ft. Worth.  In addition to candles, they offer potpourri and diffusers.  The fragrances smell natural, not artificial.  Love that!

Candles are also a great aid in starting a meditation practice.  Sit cross-legged on the floor in a dark room with a lit candle in front of you.  Focus on the light of the candle.  Let you mind clear.  Stare at the flame.  When your mind wanders,  focus your intention back on the candle.  Start with 10 minutes and hopefully you can work up to 30-60 minutes a day.  You won't be sorry!!

Rituals help us stay or become grounded.  What do you do in your day to keep grounded and centered and present? 

Getting Into a Groove

As I mentioned before, I have been traveling for work for the past three weeks.  I am suffering for it.  I long for a routine!  I go a little nutty, when I return from travel.  I sometimes have trouble finding my equilibrium or groove, so to speak.  Now with the Christmas/New Year's holidays in full-swing, I am afraid my "new normal" will take a few more weeks.

In the meantime, I am picking back up on my rituals.  I bought flowers again.  Loving the holiday selections....

How cool are the stick like branches on the left?  Not sure what they are, but knew they would be great next to my bathroom sink.  On my desk, I put some evergreen, berries, a hydrangea, and added a punch of white.  I took the rest of the white flowers and put them in my bedroom.  They are nice and clean looking. 

Now, I must admit that I purposely got these flowers, because they should last me over one week.  I will be away for a few days for X-mas and my father's birthday and wanted flowers that would last 10-14 days.

So, now back to routines.....The flowers and grocery shopping helped ground me a little. 

I've been consistently working out, but had to put the weight lifting with a trainer on the back-burner because of my travel schedule.  Every day I have been home this month, I have taught Spinning.  I couldn't handle another appointment (trainer).  It was too much to commit to.  I had to let it go, temporarily.

So, the cardio is in check, but the hard and toned upper body muscles are now soft.  I'm working out with a trainer on Friday!!!  I know it will ground me, even a little more. 

Now, the diet is BAD!!  Three weeks of catered meals eating out, just kills me.  I have little self-control in social situations and in catered buffet lines.  I love to try everything that I am offered.  No matter how much cardio I have done, it can't make up for the calories I have consumed.  I admit that it is hard to stop the negative self talk.  I know that I will make better decisions, once I am back in my routine, but it is hard for me to be patient and not beat myself up.  My clothes are a little tighter right now, and I hate myself for it.  But, I try to stop the inner dialogue and remind myself that this is temporary.

I must remind myself that the great thing is that I get to start over each day.  Every day I am trying to make better food choices---not graze on all the holiday treats at work all day, not over indulge at holiday parties, etc.  I try to remind myself of the little victories throughout the day and not focus on the few handfuls of chocolate covered popcorn I ate at the office.  (At least I didn't make the effort to go purchase it, right?  It was just sitting out where I couldn't resist!)

I know I need to work on not being so hard on myself, but it is hard.  Every day that I am home, I feel more like myself. 

We all try to keep balance in our lives.  Some times we cannot balance and some thing has to give.  I strive to give myself permission to live in the moment, even if it means I gain a few lbs., lose sleep, spend a little too much money, etc.  I have a feeling I will always struggle with this, but every day I have the gift of starting anew and trying again.

Freshly Laundered Sheets

I've noticed that I sleep more soundly when my sheets are freshly laundered.  Interesting.  If I wasn't so lazy, I would wash my sheets twice a week, instead of just once.

After I wash my sheets, I can get about 2-3 nights of better sleep than nights when my sheets aren't as fresh.  Don't get me wrong, I sleep really well every night, but even better on clean and crisp sheets.

I try really hard to appreciate and recognize my clean sheets.  Sliding into fresh sheets is a perfect way to end the day. 

Now, I need to start washing sheets on a day other than Sunday, because I almost always oversleep on Monday.

Best,

Breakfast Ritual

For the past month, I have been waking up 15 minutes earlier than usual and actually eating breakfast at the kitchen table.  Holy cow!  I don't think I have done this since elementary school.  I have to say that I love it!  I was thinking about doing this for years, but just couldn't seem to do it.

I am not a morning person, so the thought of getting up early to eat at the table or get more sleep was a no-brainer. I was going to choose sleep.

In the past, my usual routine was--walk the dogs, get showered/dressed, make the bed, toast waffles with nut butter and banana/berries (to eat in the car) or McD's Egg McMuffin (also eaten in the car).  I ate breakfast, but was in constant motion from the time my feet hit the floor in the morning.

Now, after I walk the dogs and before I shower, I make breakfast and sit down and eat it (on a placemat--extra points).  I admit, that my breakfast is a quick one.  I make eggs and toast, cereal with berries and almond milk, or whole grain toaster waffles with nut butter and bananas/berries (like a sandwich)---and of course, coffee.  It takes about 7 minutes to make, at most.

I do watch The Today Show during breakfast.  (It counts as news, doesn't it?)  The 8 minutes to eat is short, but just enough to make me feel like I am doing some thing for myself before the work day.  I notice that when I get to work, I am less frazzled and more grounded.

I must say that it starts my day off right.  A few minutes of ME time, in the morning does this body good.

I wish I were a morning person, but I accept the fact that it will always be a struggle to wake earlier than 7:00 a.m.  I hope that one day I will make a habit of waking up even 30 minutes earlier and meditate before breakfast.  One step at a time, though.  Another aspiration to add to the list!

People Magazine Crossword Puzzles

I admit that this is a silly post.  I am slightly embarrassed that I am admitting this, but I have thick skin.  I just subscribed to People magazine, after a long hiatus, for the crossword puzzle.

A few years ago, I gave my cousin a subscription to People magazine for her birthday.  She still talks about what a great gift that was--the gift that keeps on giving week after week.  She loves the crosswords and we have completed a few together.

I guess why I like it so much is that, let's face it, it is one of the easiest crosswords out there.  If you keep up with pop culture, you can probably complete the crossword with minimal effort.  I may not be able to complete the NY Times crossword without help, but damn it, I can complete the People magazine crossword.

The ritual of completing the crossword is fun for me.  Just 20 minutes to relax and do a little brain-teaser and feel like a member of Mensa for finishing it.  I love a sense of accomplishment--even if it is simple.

Got a Mani?

I made a commitment to myself to get a manicure or polish change once a week.  I am about two-months in, and love it!

I am definitely not the girl that has to look perfect all the time, but think about how often you look at your hands--while typing, driving, checking your iPhone, washing dishes, washing your face, etc.

Getting a manicure is like feng shui for your hands.  When you see that your fingers are nicely manicured, you feel good.  When you see tired, dry, hands with chipped (or no) polish, it is a downer. 

When you get your manicure, use it as an excuse to unplug from your iPhone--no emails, phone calls, texts, web-surfing, etc.  Just be present in the moment.  Let the nail tech massage your hands and forearms--don't skip it.  Use this time as "relax and recharge" time. 

This is self-love folks, take the 15-25 minutes and get a quick one!

Meals Without Television?

Doesn't she kinds look like Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter) from the TV show Dexter?  I love that show!

Mindless Eating

When at home, many of us eat in front of the computer or television.  I eat in  front of the television at home and in front of the computer at work.  I've noticed lately that at home, I am not enjoying what I am eating or what I am watching on TV. 

I enjoy picking out and cooking my meals.  I am usually excited at the thought of eating them (and hungry), but notice that I am mindlessly eating them, because I am half-watching garbage on television.  I will eat a meal in front of the television, and eat and eat and then am surprised when my plate is empty.  Why?  Because I have never really even tasted my food.  I was never really paying attention to what I was eating.  I have caught myself going for second helpings, because I don't remember eating the first helping.  Like it was gone too fast and I need to relive the experience (30 seconds after I finished).  Sick!

Today at work, I went looking for the piece of bread that came with my salad and realized that I already ate it.  Double-sick!  I never even enjoyed it.  It just went "down the hatch."

I need a change!!!

A few days ago, I decided to turn off the television programs, unless there is some thing that I really want to watch.  What to do with all the silence?  What do I do when I eat?  Won't it be too quiet?

Guess what I learned....

I have music channels (no, not MTV, VH1, or BET--those aren't music these days anyway) on my television.  The kind where you pick the music genre you like and one song plays into the next.  No commercials, just nice music.  I like it.  Glad it took me 2.5 years to recognize this.  Again, Sick!

I am much more focused at home.  I am a busybody by nature and always have many thoughts rolling around in my head. Multitasking is my way of life.  Now with the television programs gone, I notice that I finish a thought or task before I move on to the next.  I do not suffer from ADD, but I recognize that the television on in the background really did impair my thoughts.  The noise disrupted my thought process.

I also love being at home.  The flowers, the relaxing music, my Shmoopie Doopies (dogs), etc.  I have always loved my home, but now I feel that it really invigorates me, instead of being the Temple of Chores--clean, pick up, cook, laundry, etc.  My home is no longer a responsibility, but my sanctuary.

So, what do I do when I eat?

I sit at my kitchen table and enjoy my view.  I have a lovely and unobstructed view of downtown Houston.  I pay extra money for this view.  I do cherish it every day, but I never really noticed what the view from the kitchen table. 

I still eat fairly quickly, about 10 minutes, but I taste my food.  My brain registers that I am eating.  I am "present" in the moment, which also adds to the pleasure of the meal and recognition that I have eaten.  I don't go back for second helpings.  When my plate is empty, I'm done.  My thighs will thank me later!

What about when I am finished eating?

I do the little housekeeping tasks with the music on.  I don't really miss the television, because it is just noise.  Don't get me wrong, I am not selling it any day soon.  However, I am recording programs that I really enjoy and watching them when I want to and not making the television viewing another daily task on my list.

I admit that I am much more relaxed.  I think the television noise in the background of my life, really overstimulates me.  Those who know me well know that I am high energy by nature and don't need added stimulation in my life.

My next goal is to get rid of eating in front of the computer at work.  I think it will be harder than turning off the television at home.  Sigh!

I really love my new routine and will try really hard to keep it up!

Flower Power

Basil with Zinnia

I made a vow to myself about a month ago to buy fresh flowers for my home on a weekly basis. This is money well-spent. It is one of the highlights of my week.

I go to Central Market and buy a spray of flowers for my desk, a small arrangement for my kitchen and a few single flowers for bud vases in my bedroom and bathroom. I can do this for $12!!!!

Each week, I enjoy the ritual. The best part though, is the happiness I feel when I see the flowers. The flowers bring my energy up and literally make me smile. Additionally, it motivates me to keep my home tidy throughout the week.

Over the weeks, I take pictures of these flowers on my iPhone, because I just can't believe how pretty the flowers are and I just have to capture the image.  (Cheesy, I know, but I can't help it.)

In the past, I would of discarded this idea for many reasons---money, it isn't necessary, etc.  But, I feel so good when I see the flowers and they contribute to the great energy in my home and my heart.  That is why I must continue this ritual.

Enjoy the amateur pics!!  What ritual do you regularly perform to make you feel great?

Peony

Hydrangea

Roses