A Return To Autumn

My all time favorite season is Autumn. I love when the days get shorter and the nights get cooler. I can often be found snuggled up in bed ready for an early nights sleep as the evening approaches. One thing I dislike about Autumn is the inevitable slow down that my body has as it arrives. Once I start seeing pumpkins arriving in the markets I know it's bulk up season. Which, isn't going to work for me. How am I planning on maintaining myself for these next few cold months.

Here are some of my plans

- Cut back on carbs. This is a tough one because in all honesty I'm a carbophile. But smart swaps can help. Zoodles instead of pasta. Butter lettuce leaves instead of bread for burgers and sandwiches.

- Go meatless one - two nights a week. I love my slow cooker this time of year but I plan on opting in for a few meatless salads and veggie heavy meals this season.

- More greens less fruit for my smoothies.

- Hot lemon water... Mix in a little bit of almond milk, cinnamon and skip those PSL's 

- Move my butt! The time to recommit to myself is now. Pump up the cardio, get a few more miles in as possible a week, challenge myself.

- Eggs they are eggcellent. I love making a frittata loaded with veggies on Sunday evening this gives me an easy lunch option during the week.

- Green juice. Mix a batch in the morning and stay sipping all day. Favorites to add

Sweet greens

Ginger 

Cucumber

Peppers

Lemon

Paprika 

That right there is a recipe for sweet success.

The Holidays are here and most of us are partying like it's 1999. But hey friends think about it. In 1999 not a lot of people were concerned with their wellness. It's a new day and a new way. That being said we are all still collectively living life and boozing up a bit too much this time of year. If you are making the holiday party circuit this weekend here are some great acupressure potent points that will get you on the road to mending that much faster. The names of these acupressure points may sound silly to you, but hey, they work. You gotta love traditional Chinese medicine.

I included acupressure points and names so you can do a little more research if  you need it.
Let's start with my favorite point of all time

The Great Eliminator (LI4) . Please note, this point is forbidden for you to use if you are pregnant. Also please use with caution while laboring at the end of your pregnancy. The great eliminator can stimulate contractions in the uterus.

The great eliminator is located in the webbing between your thumb and index finger. You'll want to search for and locate the highest point on the hand and press with intention down into and up towards your heart. Feel that little bump? That's the great eliminator. Not only is the great eliminator great to help cure a hang over its a great point to know and use for almost every aliment. Head aches, cramps, bloating, tension and pain. I use this point often in my massage and skin care practice and also at home.

                                                     ( Acupressure Potent Points
                                                         Michael Reed Gach )

                                                   
                                                            ( Acupressure  Potent Points

                                                         Michael Reed Gach ) 

The Gate of Consciousness. (GB20)  Located below the base of your skull. Feel for the hollows of your skull. They are located between your two major neck muscles. Feel for the hollows. Press with your thumbs or index fingers up into your skull, with intent. Hold this point for a few moments. This point is great for eye pain, dizziness and that irritation we all have after a long night of too much fun.

The Heavenly Pillar (B10) When looking for the heavenly pillar you'll want to spread your fingers out about a half inch from the base of your skull. Feel for the ropey muscles, outwards of the spine. Press with intent and hold for several minutes. If the muscles feel extra ropey not only are you hung over but you are in need of body work and should schedule a session with a trained professional. The heavenly pillar is a great point for exhaustion, burn out, eye strain and overall head heaviness.

Wind Mansion ( GV16) How to find it? Search with index finger for the large hollow in the center of the back of your head. This is a tricky one to locate. I suggest holding your head straight looking forward. You may need your index and middle finger to locate. Once you find it press with intention into the point. This point is deeper so press with a firm finger but don't over do it.

                                                           ( Acupressure  Potent Points

                                                         Michael Reed Gach )

Bigger Rushing (Lv3) There is a valley between your big toe and middle toe on the top of your foot. Say hello to  Bigger Rushing. Great go to point for every day life and also hangovers. To find bigger rushing walk your index finger just a smidgen to find the valley. Once found, press down then up toward the heart with intention and hold for a few minutes.


Maybe you're like what? What exactly am I feeling for? Well, Acupressure points are often tender little spots on your body. Sometimes they feel like bumps.  These points connect all of the meridians through out our bodies allowing energy or chi flow to circulate. A great reason to use acupressure not only when you are  hung over but in every day life is that often stimulation of one point will send a surge of chi ( energy) to another point in your body. It's a great self care practice and I highly recommend it.

Don't forget, drink plenty of water after a night of drinking. Alcohol dehydrates you. Feeling a little bloated after a party night, try and skip as many carbs as possible. Eat protein and drink water.

Happy Holidays and party on!

A Splash Of Color For Your Morning

I have been on a serious smoothie kick for weeks and weeks now. With the gloomy weather of Fall and  early Winter I've been whipping up some delicious, nutritious color. This fun blender cup had a vanilla protein powder, a handful of berries, blue berries, raspberries and strawberries. I also blended in chia seeds for extra fuel and biotin for healthy skin, hair and nails. A splash of almond milk and water and voila... magenta yum!

The Return Of Mermaid Life

It has been months since I felt ok enough with my conscious to soak in a bath. California is having a pretty serious drought. I have been working out a whole lot lately and my poor quads were seriously not happy with me.  Since it had been so long I allowed myself the indulgence and whipped up some extra fantastic ingredients to make sure my bath was as therapeutic and indulgent as possible.

So what was in the brew this go round? Well let me tell you.

3 tablespoons of chamomile flowers dried
1 cup of epsom salts
a squeeze of local honey, a kukoi body oil
1/2 cup of milk
2 tablespoons of dried passion flower
a few sprinkles of lavender essential oil

Not only was this bath aromatic and soothing to my achy muscles my skin was smooth and felt fantastic the next day. Oh and in the tea cup, chamomile tea. It was a long day.

Self Care... It's An On Going Thing

Here we are, October 1. I really loved September and all of the reminders to care for yourself. 

I decided to continue on and create another little calendar to give some more inspirations on how to and when you can carve out time for self care. I truly and fully believe in the caring of yourself. You can never invest too much time on you. 

Take some time and plan out when you will make the all important date with yourself and make this time an on going ritual. There are 91 days left in 2014. Recommit and reinvest in you. 

Fabulous Fall Skin

It's that time of year again. Days grow shorter, weather gets colder and for most of us our skin feels these effects.

When the weather changes and we start dressing for colder weather many people forget to still care for their skin. This is a huge no- no. Your skin is your largest organ and should always be maintained to keep it healthy and glowing. Here are a few ideas on things you can add to your healthy well beautiful skin routine.

-Keep hydrated. Just because its getting chillier outside does not mean you should skimp on your water  intake. A great calculation to determine your water intake is the following

Take your body weight and divide that number by two.

Divide that number by eight. 

Your answer its the approximate amount of 8 ounce glasses of water you should be drinking every day. 

If you lead a very physical lifestyle, working out etc you can add an additional two glasses of water into your final answer above.

Be sure to stay hydrated but don't over do it on the water intake. Water just like all healthy life style habits is about moderation. You don't want to be out of balance with water levels.

- Switch up your cleanser. Using a soapy gel based cleanser can leave your body feeling stripped of moisture during the Fall. Going soap free and switching up to a creamy body wash to scrub up can leave your feeling and looking its best. 

- Protect your hands and lips. Seek out a fabulous lip balm and a fantastic hand cream. These are two hand bag must haves for myself. I love having soft kissable lips and as a massage and skin care therapist I pride myself on my always soft hands. 

-Exfoliate I can never stress enough the importance of exfoliating your skin. Exfoliating sloughs off dead dry skin cells, revealing fresh skin. It will also help you with circulation and waking up your lymph system . I recommend exfoliating during your morning shower to increase lymph drainage. An oil based scrub is always a great way to go during the colder months.

Here is a quick DIY body scrub you can make at home.

Hello Autumn Body Scrub

1/ 2 cup of coffee grounds

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup carrier oil (olive, grape seed, kukui oil, sweet almond, avacado)

6-8 drops of clove essential oil

6-8 drops of  myrrh essential oil 

6-8  drops of sandalwood essential oil

Spring Time & Your Skin

Spring has just about sprung... is your skin ready? With the weather warming up and people everywhere shedding their coats and winter layers, you can believe that more skin will be showing.Your skin is your largest organ. Keeping up on it's up keep is so important. Your skin is responsible for 1/4 of your body's detoxification process.  Here are a few tips on what to do to get that glorious glow on.


1. Drink water- Our water intake lessens during the winter months. Water is your skin's best friend. Keep it on hand and stay hydrated. Your skin will love you for it.

2. Exfoliate - I mentioned in an earlier post the importance of keeping your skin exfoliated. Not only does your skin on your face need to be exfoliated so does your entire body. A  fantastic way to exfoliate all over your body is by dry brushing. Dry brushing the skin helps to shed dead skin cells.This may improve the texture and appearance of your skin. Dry brushing can also tighten your skin, increase the blood flow, lymph flow and increase circulation. All of these things are great big snaps for a fabulous glow.

3. Moisturize- Keeping your skin moisturized is so important. We often tend to apply less creams and butters during the Winter season, leaving us scaly and dry. Stock up on moisturizers and slather them on all over. Don't forget your elbows and heels of your feet.

4. Get a facial- If you do not have a skin care therapist that you work with regularly, the beginning of Spring is a great reason to find one in your community and begin a beautiful relationship. Your  Esthetician will guide you on a skin care regimen that will shine a light your skin, work with you on areas that you are concerned about, and keep you looking your best. Many specialize on many different services.