Sleep - The Best Beauty Secret Around

Today we have top models, actresses and super moms providing tips about a variety of topics such as hair care, skin care, make up, blemish removal, and many others that will help you highlight your natural beauty.  Some of these ideas cost thousands of dollars to $50 or less.  However, if you truly want to look your best you should make sure you are getting a good night's sleep.  If you are not sleeping sleeping through the night, your other beauty tips will be less than effective.

You may be asking, "How can I sleep through the night?  What should I do to ensure I do?"

There are so many methods out there today that claim to cure insomnia many by ingesting chemicals.  Rather than using a quick fix to a long-standing problem, perhaps there are other things out there you could change instead.  Below are 6 things you can do on your own to help your insomnia:

Reduce or Eliminate Background Noise:

If you do not live alone, it is easy to assume that there are several distractions that can get in the way of a peaceful nights sleep.  But, even when the dog is barking and the cars are honking, there are still things you can do to cut out excess noise.  Leave the television and radio off at least an hour prior to your bed time, even if you feel they are helpful tools to lull you to sleep.  Close your bedroom door if you can.  Ear plugs may also be a way to prevent extra loud noises from ruining your sleep.

Limit Your Intake of Coffee and Soda:

While you may need that jolt of caffeine in order to function at work or school throughout the day, there is no need to overdo it  with five cups or cans per day.  Remember that caffeine should be used with caution, because your brain will be constantly going as long as it is stimulated by caffeine.  Consuming these beverages too close to bed could mean that you will lie awake for hours trying to shut off the effects of the caffeine.

Aromatherapy or Essential Oils:

The next time you lie in bed and stare up at the ceiling, wouldn't it be much better to just roll over and be soothed into a slumber by pleasant and comforting aromas?  This is such a natural way to relax and fall asleep you may find yourself in sweet dreams in a matter of minutes.

Adjust Late Night Eating Habits:

It is very common to lie awake in bed and crave a midnight snack to help relieve stress of sleeplessness.  But this form of instant gratification will not help you rest on that pillow any sooner.  In fact, this will hinder any hope of having a truly restful night of sleep at all.  (As well as add inches to your waistline.)

Comfort:

Perhaps you might be over-thinking your problems with insomnia.  It may be nothing more than a matter of changing a few things in your bedroom to induce sleep.  Maybe that old mattress is a little too lumpy, or perhaps you should crack open the window for some fresh air.  Whatever the case may be, the problems may be a matter of just setting the right atmosphere for a great nights sleep.

Calm Your Mind:

It might be hard to try to think positive thoughts when there is so much going on in your life, but if you want any hope of a restful night, getting rid of the mental clutter is a good place to start in shirking the insomnia.  Replace all that negativity with a pleasant childhood memory, or switch it to a fantasy or good things to come in your life.  A great practice is to go through your day and think of all the good things that happened.  This always works wonders for me.

You don't need to spend a million bucks on beauty products, start with getting a good nights sleep!

Finding Balance & Complete Wellness

Balance. A word we all talk about and strive for but don't always find.  Over the past 6 months I have had plenty of time to contemplate my healthy living journey.  When I fell in love with fitness and clean eating, I fell totally in love. Loved the way I felt, loved the way I looked, loved everything.

I continually took it to the next level through diet and my workouts. At one point I was in the gym twice a day 4-5 days a week, and once a day every other day. I consistently deleted options from my meal plan. I ate chicken and spinach mainly. Passed on that amazing glass of wine the majority of the time.  Still somehow I never felt like I was quite there. I basically lived in "competition prep mode" year round. With no intention of ever competing.  I started to lose that love and feeling for my routine. The passion was gone.  I began to struggle. 

I realized I was forgetting the "living" part of the healthy lifestyle. I eased up. I accepted and enjoyed the happy hour invitation. I ate an off plan meal and learned to let go of the guilt and remorse. I learned to live again and live a healthy lifestyle. I still look back at those early pictures and long a bit for that body. But trying to maintain that year round is impractical. 

It's been almost 6 months since I touched a weight. I have realized that I had been slacking on my mental strength and endurance. I've learned to relax. Learned to meditate. Learned to calm my mind. And what I have realized is although I love weight training and will continue that moving forward it will only be a piece of the puzzle for me.  I intend to incorporate yoga into my new routine so that I truly have #completewellness rather than just physical strength. 

Welness is a constantly evolving subject and I truly believe to find that balance you must continually strive to achieve #completewellness which is body, mind and soul. That is the perfect recipe for long term success. Does it all happen in the gym? No! It happens through whatever means work for you. For me it's a happy hour with my sweet hubby. The smell of essential oil diffusing in my home. The daily practice of gratitude. So many things I have learned to enjoy.

I am very much looking forward to being healed and starting on my new plans. I strive for simpler, healthier, better lifestyle. And although I have attended many yoga classes, I want to fully understand and take it to the next level. I would love to hear from any fellow yogis out there with tips and advice. Cheers to the future!

Need Help Getting a Good Nights Sleep?

This weeks newsletter is for you!  Check it out here.

Sunday Newsletter - Finding Your Peace

Happy Sunday  - Newsletter is up here!  Have a fantastic evening.

Sharing Your Experiences With a Positive Twist

Everywhere I go I get asked what I did to my leg (obviously!)  It seems many people have a story of an injury or even an injury related to mine.  They love sharing the details and talking with me but what I have noticed is they make no attempt to give me hope or even try to put a positive spin on the story.  I get things like "oh I was never the same again.  I have to burn all the nerve endings off in my leg which is hard because then if I cut myself I don't know it."  WTF?  What?  Really?  I also had someone tell me that they were "very active like me and worked out all the time but then their knee was never the same again."  They could not lunge or squat or do any of these movements and "it ruined me forever."  Wow.  Talk about knocking the wind out of you.

Good grief!  I am not by any means saying every day is unicorns and rainbows.  Quite the contrary.  BUT  when I get asked about my progress or my injury, I do always try to put a positive ending or spin on it.  I have found so many more positives in this situation than negatives it's not a hard thing to do. It's all about mindset, as most everything in life is.

I started PT yesterday and although it is quite unpleasant, I can see the changes in my leg and know that every day I am one day closer to walking!!  That is all it takes for me to get through the pain.

We all love "real" but make sure you are not sucking the hope out of someone when you give them your story.   Give them something...  Right? That's what I try to do as well when I share with you. It takes me a couple of days to write my blogs to make sure of this.  Another great life lesson for me. 

Cheers to a fantastic Wednesday!

Feeling the Love! Or Not...

It's a funny thing how situations show us so much about ourselves and other people too. A quote I always think of is "Want to know who you real friends are? Start your own business and ask them to support you." Seriously one of the most true statements out there. People constantly post what car they drive, purse they carry, drink they drink, etc. all promoting large corporations and strangers. Ask them to try a free sample  of a product you sell or heaven forbid purchase something and post about it or tell others about it and you will usually get a much different response! The first question is usually "can I get it at your discount?" What? Really? Does Coke sell you their drinks at their cost? No. They don't.

Being in direct sales for a long time, I know this reality far too well. Those you think will absolutely support you and your new business are usually the ones to provide the least support. Sad but true. I have found something very similar with being injured. Those I thought would check in on me during this time are actually the ones I have heard from the least, if at all! Staying positive for myself and my family and putting everything I have into getting better consumes my day most days. I unfortunately don't have much to give right now to others. And this has made me discover who is my friend for what I can give to them and do for them and who is not. It's also brought people into my life I never imagined would check in with me like they do. What a huge blessing.

Sad but true for the most part. I think some of us grow and change and don't realize everyone around us is not doing the same. Situations like this bring all that to the forefront. Most of us are on a journey to bring the most peace, love and happiness into our lives as possible. Some people not only love but thrive on drama and talking about it endlessly. Things become very clear when you have nothing to give. 

I am beyond grateful for all the universe allows me to see and will certainly use that moving forward as I decide where and with whom to spend my time, energy and love. I encourage all of you to do the same - go where you are loved.  This, yet another amazing lesson brought by a dog walk gone so wrong!

The Beauty of a Bath

Something as small as a bath can be self care at its finest!  I have always been a bath person, bubbles, meditation, reading, setting my intentions for the day.  Yet another thing I have now realized I took for granted.  Since my injury, I have had to exclusively shower.  Quite a different experience!  No meditation, reading, nothing! I have sincerely longed for a bubble bath.

Every day I try to do new things, grow stronger, do more.  As of my last doctor's appointment, he told me I could bend, stretch try to move my leg.  My sweet hubby suggested this weekend we set a goal of trying to get me in the tub.  And we succeeded! And by today I was able to get in and out of the tub and bathe alone.  What an amazing feeling that is!  How I have missed that!

Everyone has "self-care" things they do for themselves that set the mood, the tone for the day, help you reset, recharge and regroup.  Maybe it is a facial, pedicure, a massage, getting your nails done or a bath!  (I actually have a couple of things from that list I love.) I realized how necessary doing those special things are now.  So important to savor every minute and do your absolute best not to take them for granted.  If you have not taken care of yourself lately, my post today is just a reminder and encouragement to do just that! Treat yourself!

Cheers to an amazing Monday!

Recovery Update: Hidden Lessons & Treasures Everywhere

I am now over a month into my recovery.  I broke down and ordered the wheel chair my family tried to get me to order 3 weeks ago. I talk about mindset a lot.  It's a funny thing.  The idea of getting a wheel chair seemed crazy to me.  It was like my mind could not/would not accept the 3-4 months recovery time the doctor was projecting.  How could it possibly take that long to heal?  I'm wonder woman!  Or at least I think I am.  Then reality set in and I realized that it really is a convenience item to help me get through this time of healing.  A way for me to do things with my family.  Like attend a dance concert for our daughter. I am grateful to be able to get one to enjoy time with my family!

Week 1 for me was a total mental train wreck.  I was beyond pissed.  I exercised daily.  I ate clean to an extreme.  I was extremely active, I was grateful for my excellent health, I felt like I was doing everything "right" yet there I was with a severe injury.  How could this have possibly happened?? How could it be that I could not drive or do basically anything for myself or my family?  I take extreme pride in caring for and spoiling my family.  Nothing makes me happier.  Sincerely.  Now that was impossible for the next 3-4 months.  My brain just kept focusing on the "why."

Week 2 came along and I decided I wanted to try to do something every day I could not do the day before.  That made me feel a little better.  But yes, I did of course over do it.  I cleaned the kitchen and did 3 loads of laundry and then I paid the price for the next 2 days.  Regrouped.... then I just did the dishes.  That worked.  Thank goodness. Switching roles from the giver to the receiver was not easy, no matter how kind and loving my family was being.

At week 3  I started realizing  many things.  For starters, asking for help has never been my strong suit.  I am fiercely independent and asking for help does not come easily to me.  It now however is NOT an option.  I have had to learn to be vulnerable, learn to ask for help and learn that it is ok and I am blessed to have people to help me and care for me.  A valuable lesson I would not trade for the world.

I never doubted my husband would take excellent care of me.  Never.  I know many people are not in that situation and I am beyond grateful that I am.  But honestly what I didn't know is how far he would go in caring for me.  Day in and day out.  How much time he spends working on things that "steal my peace" like dishes in the sink, dog hair on the floor.  Things that are completely unimportant in the grand scheme of life, especially right now,  but important to me.  And he not only knows that, he takes care of them. Daily. He puts fresh flowers on my food tray every meal.  He does things that I know most men would not do. I feel more loved than ever.  And for that, the trashed leg is so worth it.

Week 4 brought the end of pain pills and the ability to enjoy a glass of wine! Oh how have I missed being able to do that. I've also learned to "walk" down the stairs instead of sliding on my tush! Progress is slow but is steady. My sweet hubby took me on my first outing and turned me loose. How awesome that was! I wheeled myself all through Barnes & Noble and had a great time. Something I know I took for granted being able to do in the past.

I have more blessings than I am able to count.  I have excellent medical care and insurance.  I don't have to worry about getting to the office anymore as I am fortunate enough to work from home.  I have a beautiful new laptop my hubby got to keep me sharing my experiences on.  I have a husband and a family that love me and care for me like a queen.  With all of these treasures, I now feel nothing but absolute gratitude.