Essential oils help me fall asleep fast!

I'm super busy cramming too much into my days and nights. So, when it's time for some sleep, I don't have the luxury of taking much time to fall asleep.  Great thing about that is, I know the trick that works wonders for me every time so I get to sleep fast.
Valerian essential oil. It's my trusty, tried and true trick that will get me to sleep fast and wake up refreshed, even when I have just 4 hours to get in a good night's sleep.

Click here for entries on natural sleep aids with aromatherapy on my website.

See if you don't sleep like a baby.

Gentle and peaceful sleep

Photo credit: photoglife from morguefile.com

Sweet dreams darling.

How to not catch what your co-worker has

I just saw this article and thought it worth sharing since most people work around other people.
 I thought this article applies not only to the office environment, but every environment, even to those who drive for a living, or work around kids. Germs can be spread when you or anyone else touches that object. This article says a desk has more bacteria than a toilet seat. Gross! It costs time and money when illness strikes from being infected by germs.  Hygiene and cleanliness can cut this down. Keeping hands and surfaces clean will go a long way. Makes good sense and a good habit to follow daily. Wash those hands often.

always wash hands after restroom at home and in public

Photo credit: kconnors from morguefile.com

Rebounder with resistance can't be beat for exercise

I see all sorts of exercise equipment for sale. I can't find any exercise that combines it all together that you can get resistance, rebounding, strength, aerobics, balance, core and cardio all together in one. Each in itself is great, but combined all together, awesome. What I think makes it special on top of all the above is the gentle bouncing. It looks innocent and effortless, but once you step off the rebounder, that's how you can tell how much your lower extremities have been working just doing the gentle bouncing, not even lifting your feet off the rebounder, and this gentle bouncing up and down affects your very important lymphatic system. You get so much with hardly putting forth serious effort in exercise. Your heart, your joints, your muscles, your bones, all engaged and you burn lots of calories. And it's fun. What more can I say. Get your own rebounder with resistance bands and get these benefits for your health.

See my Fitness Page on more on the rebounder

With a rebounder with resistance bands- have fun. & get top fitness

Photo credit: click from morguefile.com

My first heart rate monitor watch

I have to admit I've been having difficulty finding my pulse to count beats when I take a break during exercise to check if I'm in my target heart rate zone.  So I finally came across a heart monitor watch that looked simple and was very reasonably priced.  I wanted one to count my heart beats, not decipher log rhythms or have GPS capability.  So I bought it, read the instructions, input my personal data easily, and so far I really like it.  It gives me an indication of the effort and energy I need to be exerting to be in my zone for burning fat. All I have to do is press the mode button until the little heart on the face blinks, place my index finger over the area so it can read the pulses in my finger, and in a few seconds the heart monitor calculates and displays my heart beats per minute.  I don't have to find my pulse or wear a strap around my chest. Simple. I really like simple.

Now, you go and find one of your own so you can know your beats per minute while exercising. And go back and review my posting on getting fit and calculating your heart target zone numbers.

You know rebounding is one of my favorite exercises, not at all like jumping on a trampoline as the young lad in the photo below, but if I were a kid again,  I'd definitely try jumping this high. The good thing is there does look to be a high enough protective net around this trampoline to keep trampoliners from tumbling off onto the ground. Go to my Fitness page and see the Yoga Bounce Video on the mini-trampoline/rebounder I enjoy for exercising and raising my heart rate. Just bouncing and doing upper arm resistance exercises while bouncing or jogging on the rebounder really gets my heart rate up. Now you go out and get your owe have fun while getting fit and losing weight. 

jumping on trampoline for fun and fitness 

Photo credit: click from morguefile.com

 I think heart rate monitor watches are gems.

Folk Remedies

I landed on a site this morning and spent some time viewing it. It's on folk remedies and I think you also will find it interesting and useful.  I'm interested to know more about apple cider vinegar and it's uses and benefits.  I've been experiencing acid indigestion and I've got to find something to put this problem to rest.  Let know what you find at earthclinic.com. Click the tabs to look up your particular health issue(s).

Before the big pharmaceutical companies came on the scene, what people used was folk remedies. Just because scientists haven't learned enough to know about all the complexities of 'things natural', doesn't mean remedies from natural don't offer some pretty helpful benefits to us. Little by little science is proving that some folk remedies offer some very valuable properties after seeing that things in nature does offer what we need to help in health and healing.  There is still much to learn and man may never have all the answers to what single thing works the best. 

Apples- a very nutritious fruit

Photo credit: d_hatch from morguefile.com

Folk remedies have been around a long time. Natural gems for sure.  But use wisely, and see your physician to not neglect getting a proper medical diagnosis/treatment.

Folk remedies have been used for centuries

Photo credit: anitapatterson from morguefile.com


Be sure to read more on nutrition at natural2bhealthy.com

Multi-tasking exercise

It's catching on- exercises that combine working upper and lower muscles and engaging more muscles, thus decreasing the length of time spent working out.  This is what happens when you play sports or do activities that involve lots of body movements- such as swimming, baseball, volleyball, jumping jacks, basketball, skating, dancing, rowing, cleaning house, and there are many others, (but not so much bicycling), as these activities include moving the arms and the legs at the same time for a period of time.  When working out with weights, it was isolating and focusing on one muscle group at a time.  That's old school now. And when you have limited time in your day to fit in exercise, it makes perfect sense to exercise using all the body, meaning working more muscle groups simultaneously.  It's okay to isolate muscles, but working more muscles gets your heart rate up and the additional benefits of doing that during your workouts gives you toning, strengthening muscles, heart strengthening, better lung capacity, fat burning, and increasing metabolism. All this in less time, too.

rowing engages the arms, shoulders, back, and  leg muscles

Photo credit: phestus from morguefile.com

Still my favorite is rebounding with resistance bands- for upper and lower body involvement. The bouncing also helps the lymphatic system and it's so easy on the joints, but it's a workout for sure with just 20 minutes. It's a gem of an exercise.  You'll be surprised to know how many calories you burn rebounding.(video). 

The gem here is it really doesn't require spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on exercise equipment to get a good workout.  Just move, include some resistance, and get your heart rate up.  For more on this go to my postings on 'Fitness'.

If you're goal is to get fit, there's nothing at all holding you back.

Pomegranate- a colorectal health gem

In a my posting on  what you can do to prevent and decrease colorectal cancer,  the Fruit of the Spirit health drink I referenced at the very end of the post, is a drink so fully loaded with super-nutrient fruit juices, plus, it's so concentrated, very tasty, and one small ounce gives five servings of fruit and vegetables! If you want to do your inners (colon, and everything else) some good, this drink is a winner. And see, pomegranate juice as one of many juices and ingredients in this juice. (I really enjoy recommending products that provide multiple benefits).

Pomegranate juice contains natural compounds that can possibly ward off cancer cells in the colon. In your digestive system, when metabolized, the anti-oxidant compounds of pomegranate juice are showing promise at slowing cancer cells from growing and dividing. That's great news! See source below.

Fresh fruits and vegetable are so darn good for health

Photo credit: lebewesen from morguefile.com

It's been shown just a few changes in your life- get a colorectal screening; being more physically active; decreasing the amount of fat you eat; and consuming more fresh fruits and vegetables, all can help fortify and build strong resistance for warding off a diagnosis of colorectal cancer.  And, if you've already dealt with colorectal cancer, then all the more to rebuild your health back and this juice has got the powerful nutrition to help you do that, too.

Back on natural2bhealthy.com check the links to 'Fruit of the Spirit' juice-for this unique and tasty anti-oxidant drink like non other. I say it definitely fills the bill! - including pomegranate juice nutrition for colorectal health benefits, and so much more!

It can't be easier-drink 1 ounce per day and get a load of anti-oxidants. And of course, because some is good, it doesn't necessarily mean to overdose on nutrition. So be wise and run this by your doctor. Pomegranate juice might be another gem in all the preventative actions you do for health of the colon and health in general.


Another health gem!

Bonus: fruits and vegetables can be costly to buy and they can get rotten and go bad.
Solution: the drink I've recommended will last in your refrigerator. It's quick to drink. Delicious. Not peeling required. Takes up less space than all the fruit and vegetables you'd have to store and keep buying to be fresh. 


Source: Colon cancer chemopreventive activities of pomegranate ellagitannins and urolithins. Kasimsetty, S. G. et al., Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry 2010 Feb 24;58(4):2180-2187.
 Source: Eur J Nutr.   August 2004
 Source: J Nutr.  October 2006