Supernatural Botanicals

A quick 15-20 minute nap can recharge your day and your mind.  Slow your mind and body down to deeply relax and de-stress.   You’ll have better mental processing, stress less, have better reaction time, create a brain that’s hungry and susceptible to learning, and have better overall health.

A study published in the Archives of International Medicine found that people who napped for at least 30 minutes three or more times a week reduced their risk for dying from heart disease by nearly 40%.

In an economic time when most magazines are packing their bags and calling it a day, Organic Beauty magazine comes along.  Organic Beauty magazine is a new, eco-conscious magazine not exclusively focused on beauty products.  Organic Beauty is, in many ways, a complete lifestyle magazine, well-rounded with articles on style, health, fitness, parenting and business—but always with its lens on beauty.  I love the idea of an eco-chic magazine!  It’s truly the wave of the future, so get in touch, get in tune, and find out what eco-friendly is all about.  Organic Beauty is on newsstands now.

   Ah, luxury bedding.  Is there anything better than luxury bedding?  You could have the worst day in the world and your mind could be in 25 different places, but something about slipping into a bed dressed in luxury makes it all go away.  There’s something very meditative and calming about beautiful bedding.  It’s very zen. 

Your bedroom is a place you don’t want to skimp on.  It’s the ultimate spot for indulgent “me” time.  I throw “me” time around like I get a lot of it.  I don’t.  I probably get as much ”me” time as you do.   But remember the term “quality, not quantity” coined by guilt-ridden parents in the 80s?   I’m not sure how effective that was on children, but it certainly applies well to other areas.  So we all can’t lay around in bed all day, but at least six hours a day will be spent in your bedroom, so make it your sanctuary.  Your ultimate “me” time place.   

Luxury bedding means something different to everyone, it’s all relative obviously, but to me, it’s about thick, ultra-soft cotton sheets (flannel actually feels like the thickest, most soft cotton you’ve ever felt after you’ve washed it several times and use lots of Downy.)  A luxurious blanket made of the softest material you can find, and a fluffy white down comforter rolled down to make it look tripled in size.  Back in the day, I had tons of accessory pillows on my bed.  Today, I go with what works…practical and beautiful.  I use three king sized pillows pillows for each side of the bed, meaning six in total (see picture.) 

If your mattress hasn’t seen new sheets in a while, it’s time to stage a bedroom intervention.  Stick with simplistic colors, like white or camel, as it’s (A) more zen and (B) easier to accessorize the rest of your room with.  Keep the overall goal of zen/beautiful/luxury in mind when shopping.  Don’t get too far off track .  Yes, Calvin Klein will try to tempt you with wild animal prints and Laura Ashley will tempt you to sleep in the land of precious with dainty flowers, but that’s not zen.  And, it’s just downright mean making your husband sleep in Laura Ashley.  Seriously!  Men do not want to wake up like a princess. 

And no time like the present!  Tomorrow is Valentines day, so do a room intervention tomorrow morning so your luxury bedding will be ready for your Valentines picnic in bed.   Just watch the red wine on the sheets.

*If you adore interiors and homes as much as I do, you’ll love my friend Julia’s blog, Hooked On Houses.  Such a great blog if  you are hooked on houses like we are!  Go say hi to Julia, she’ll be glad you stopped by. 

   December can be maddening.  Almost every day of the month is dedicated to making someone else happy…which is a great thing, but don’t forget about yourself.  Take some time to reflect, to appreciate your life, your family, and the good things around you.  Make this year your “first annual” whatever.  Make some memories, start some traditions, do something to make people remember you when you’re gone.  Stay positive and happy this month.  That’s what it’s all about, after all.  This holiday was created around a great and joyous event (remember?)  Fill your home with great scents, indulge in at home spa treatments, take a nap, just take a second for yourself.  Throw an hour of Yoga or Pilates in, and you’re set, girlfriend.  Now go on and take a sec! 

   Sleep!   Why does it always have to seem like a guilty pleasure?  Don’t you feel guilty or lazy if you’ve slept longer than 7 hours a night?  I’m right there with you, sister.  I’m completely guilty of making a to-do list as long as my leg each day, and not stopping until I conquer it all.   It’s one of those little afflictions I’ve picked up along the way. 

Why does the body need sleep?  It’s still a mystery to scientists, but they have identified several functions that occur during this period; energy conservation, decreasing body temperature, physical and mental recreation, memory processing and, according to Thomas Penzel, M.D., “the brain decides what to put in the bin and what to keep for long-term memory. 

Get the look of rest: 

*Get between 8-10 hours of sleep a night.

*Lighting should be minimal.  If you cannot achieve a completely dark environment, dim the lights as low as possible.

*Don’t drink too much caffeine late in the evening. 

*Light meals in the evening are better.  If you are having a big meal, make sure it’s three hours before you are ready to go to sleep.

*Restrict afternoon naps to 15-30 minutes; any longer and your body will think it wants to slip into a deeper REM cycle.

*When you go into the REM cycle, your body becomes physically paralyzed.  This is a self protective measure to make sure you do not physically act out what you are dreaming.   (Thank goodness for this stage…can you imagine?) 

I’ve been successful lately in just putting the to-do list down for the night.  So what, the to-do list doesn’t have all 300 things crossed off the list (my eye twitches as I write this…it’s still hard to do, but I’m trying.)   It’s okay, put it down for the night and commit to yourself the way you commit to others.  It’s easier to achieve gorgeousness the next day if you make an effort to get some sleep.  

Keep in mind that sleep = gorgeousness. 

   Technology just keeps getting better and better all the time.  Heart rate monitors are essential to your fitness routine.  They let you know when you are working too hard, or not working hard enough.  Typical heart rate monitors have a strap you wear around your upper rib cage along with a watch you wear to constantly detect your heart rate.  The goal is to have a heart rate of 130 or above for an average of 30 minutes (minimum) to be in an aerobic zone. 

Actitrainer’s new gadget not only displays your heart rate, it also displays calories burned, distance traveled, sleep assessment, nutritional analysis, pace, etc., and then displays them in real time with chart analysis.   I have a feeling my sleep assessment would return as “are you kidding me?”   I need to work on getting more sleep.  You do burn calories in your sleep, after all. 

What a fun tool to add to your fitness routine!  And anything that makes a grueling workout better gets high marks in my book!  

You’ll get sick if you go outside with wet hair!  Really?

Myth Revealed:

Moms are right about almost everything, but science trumps them on this one. When researchers at Baylor University exposed 44 volunteers to the cold virus, they found that those who were made to stand in a chilly room weren’t any more likely to get the sniffles than those who stayed toasty. A smarter move: Keep your immune system in top shape by getting enough sleep and exercise.   That way your body can defend itself from any virus.  Body heat escapes through your head, so dry your hair to stay warm.

For a limited time, receive a one year subscription to Healing Lifestyles and Spas Magazine with any $75.00 purchase at Supernatural Botanicals, www.SupernaturalBotanicals.com   Click here for offer details:  http://supernaturalbotanicals.com/SpecialOfferHealingLifestylesandSpaMagazine.html

You either love it or hate it. It’s one of those type of things. It takes a long time to learn to love working out. It takes a while to see the results…and we are an instant gratification society, so we have little patience. But those who continue the challenge after hitting the proverbial “wall” start to find different reasons for working out. Maybe it’s the continual compliments you get from your friends and family? Maybe it’s your new found energy? Maybe it’s your amped up libido? Maybe it’s fitting into your skinny jeans? Maybe it’s looking at yourself in the mirror and liking what you see?

Or perhaps it’s all of those reasons. Whatever your reason, it’s inevitable. You have to, sooner or later, get healthy. If not for a longer life, then to make the years you do have less painful. Either that, or because you are determined to wear a bikini next summer.

If you haven’t exercised since 3rd grade gym class, I highly recommend Jorge Cruise’s book, 8 Minutes In The Morning. http://JorgeCruise.com       

For some of his (topless…..just sayin’) podcasts, click here. http://blog.jorgecruise.com/search/label/Video%20Podcasts Even the most reluctant can agree to 8 measly minutes. It’s two basic exercises, such as biceps and shoulders, with hand weights. Something really magical happens around week 4. You actually start to crave more exercise. But if you’re a rookie, don’t look too far down the road. Just try to get that 8 minutes in each day right when you wake up. Shoot for two days in a row. Then three, then four. Sounds cliche, but the body will crave more than 8 minutes once it gets going.

A great source for video reviews by consumers is the website Video Fitness http://www.videofitness.com/

You can get descriptions and ratings from real consumers before purchasing workout DVDs. With a huge assortments of instructors, from cardio-queens to boot camp drill instructors, you’ll find a great instructor whom you’ll respond to best. A few personal favorites….Kathy Smith, Billy Blanks, and The Firm instructors. Trust! They’ll whip you into shape faster than you can say chocolate ice cream.