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Me and My Weight - or should that be My Weight and I

I have been fighting my weight for some time now, since my second child was born. On a recent post on my blog, I shared pictures of my at my eldest daughters first brithday and 6th birthday. I made a commitment to try and loose weight earlier this year and then forgot all about it until last week when someone posted a comment on a old posting asking how I was doing with my weight loss plan.

The post I wrote in response started like this:

"Well, I am sitting here reading my emails and notice that someone posted a new comment on a post I made back in the beginning of February: Why Do I Want To Lose Weight? I am reading her message: “I can’t wait to hear how you are doing with your weight loss!” as I eat chocolate pudding straight out of the mixing bowl with a ladel, and sipping my 4th glass of pepsi(not diet either) for today. Okay, I can explain the ladel: my daughter has managed to loose all of my regular spoons at school so I am improvising. As for the pepsi, well no excuses there, it’s just a habit. SO I  am thinking, not much has changed has it?"

As I think about it, and read back over that first post, I realize that I took the time to make a nice list of all the reasons I wanted to lose weight: good and bad. I even identified some of the reasons I haven't. And then I left it there! Well no wonder I never got any were!! So, I spent some time making a bit of a checklist of things I should do:

1. Realize I need to loose weight - done

2. List the reasons why I want to loose weight, honestly - done

3. Identify the issues that have stopped me so far, or caused the wieght gain - mostly done

4. Identify what things in my life may be preventing change, and find solutions to those issues.

5. Begin setting small goals, overcoming one thing at a time: Minor changes to an overall permanent lifestyle makeover.

So I started by identifing a few of the issues in my recent post, So what happened to the weight loss plan? and came up with solutions for those problems. Then I choose a few small changes to make to start off with. I am considering starting the Arbonne diet, since I will be selling it starting this month, but first I want to start with a few changes that need to be made to my lifestyle itself. After all, I don't want to loose all this weight just to put it back on again!

So, now 3 months later, I am back on the weight loss path. I am hoping that some of the things I have put in place this week will help to keep me on my path. And now that the weather is getting warmer, I have fewer excuses not to go outside and walk:)

 

Crystal Unrau

http://twomomsinablog.com

 

Using Aromatherapy to Fight Stress

Implementing aromatherapy into your home work environment can go a long way toward decreasing your stress levels. Lower your stress levels and you lower your stress responses, even to people and situations that are irritating to deal with.

Basically, aromatherapy works like this: Essential oils release aroma molecules into the air that are inhaled into your olfactory receptor cells inside your nasal cavity. This translates into an electrical impulse that is sent to the emotional center of your brain, or the limbic system. The limbic system is the part of your brain that deals with all our ancient, instinctive drives and is in direct communication with the master glands of the endocrine system that direct many of our body processes.

So, because of our limbic system, our thoughts and feelings actually create chemical reactions in our body that affect us physically. Depending on your response to a particular aroma, you can physically influence your body’s response. So you need to know a little about which essential oils will give you the desired effect you are looking for.

For focus and clarity, be more energized or be emotionally uplifted:

• Rosemary
• Lemongrass
• Basil
• Peppermint
• Lemon

To relax, mellow out, calm or balance your mood:

• Lavender
• Bergamot
• Rose
• Sandalwood
• Orange
• Geranium

Ways to introduce aromatherapy into your workplace:

Use an electric tart candle warmer as a diffuser to heat the essential oils and allow the aroma molecules to be released into the air.

If you can’t use a diffuser, dilute a few drops of EO in a spritzer bottle of water and spritz yourself silly.

Mix five drops of your EO or EO blend into a teaspoon of sweet almond or jojoba oil. Dab that on a cloth and wipe down your desk and the top of your computer. When you computer heats up, the EO aroma will waft through out the whole room.

Or wear aromatherapy jewelry to gently diffuse your favorite EO into your personal breathing space as you go about your day.

I use my favorite terra cotta diffuser pendant with my own Calm & Balance blend to help me keep a lid on my stress levels. Especially since my youngest is a high school senior and the looming threat of college applications is already making me crazy!

The bottom line is that there is help for your stress all around you, courtesy of Mother Nature. Aromatherapy has been clinically proven to both reduce stress AND increase productivity and efficiency levels. The only limit for it’s uses is on your imagination.

So go on, let Nature have Her way with you!


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Buffy Hall, RN Ret. worked as an registered nurse for 12 years in labor & delivery and home health areas before retiring in 1993 due to complications from rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. She is a long time student of natural healing and alternative therapies and practices many of them in the management of her own chronic illness.

She is also the owner and Soaper-in-Chief of BodyBubbles, specializing in handmade cold process soaps, natural skin care and home spa aromatherapy products. You can contact her anytime at blogstuff@bodybubbles.com.

Welcome to the WNC Magazine Beauty, Health and Fitness Channel

 

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