Summer can be one of the best, most fun times of the year, and it can also be one of the most overwhelming times. We hear a lot of talk about the slow, relaxing days of summer, and that’s true to an extent, but when you have young kids, a job, and a life, summer can feel anything but slow.
Summertime living is easy — or so it seems. Between planning vacations and ball games, trying to get things done at work, and packing your days full of fun activities, the summer can be more chaotic than carefree.
All the little things you’re juggling can add to lots of stress: Contrary to popular belief, a new study from the American Physiological Society says that stress can rise in the summer. The good news? If you’re feeling stressed, you’re not alone, and there are plenty of ways to decrease your stress levels and keep your emotional health in check.
You know we’re going to talk about oils because they are beneficial when we are dealing with emotions, but we are also going to dig into more info and tips.
Pop this blend into your diffuser right now and feel yourself start to relax.
There are 100,000 chemicals on the market today. The toxic Substance Control Act of 1976 grandfathered them in. What does that mean to you? Simply put: these chemicals have not had any safety testing, and we know very little information about their side effects. Since 1940's prostate cancer is up 200%, Thyroid cancer up 155%, Brain cancer up 70%. What happens when your body is chemically overloaded? It may not be cancer, but we can feel in ways like: lethargy, inability to focus, sleep trouble, chronic inflammation, unexplained pain, skin issues, adult acne, hot flashes, stress, anxiety, and fear. If you are tired of living in a chemically overloaded world, click the link below and learn how easy it is to change out chemicals for toxic-free living.
The sun is our friend - we need it. Twenty minutes per day with no sun protection is how we get our vitamin D and happiness. You want to protect your skin from burning with non-toxic sunscreens. So what should you use? Mineral Sunscreens are the way to go!
Chemical Sunscreens absorb into the skin, Mineral Sunscreens with non-nano ingredients, such as Zinc Oxide, are barrier sunscreens. Basically, they sit on the skin. Here are a few ingredients you want to avoid: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and octinoxate.
SPF---Sun Protection Factor
Let’s first talk through what SPF even is. SPF stands for sun protection factor. It is a measure of how well an agent blocks UVB rays (the kind that causes skin cancer). When not wearing sunscreen, your skin will naturally change color and incur a certain amount of damage in one hour. If you are wearing an SPF of 2 you will incur that same amount of damage in 2 hours that you would have incurred in one hour without any SPF. An SPF of 10 will get you 10 hours, SPF 30 will get you 30 hours, etc.
Here’s the thing, SPF is not linear (i.e. you don’t get 10 times more protection going from SPF 1 to 10 or 10 to 100). When you apply SPF 10, you are blocking approximately 90% of UVB rays. SPF 15, approximately 93%; SPF 30, approximately 97%; and SPF 50, 98%. So applying an SPF of 30 only gives you 7% more protection than SPF 10.
Also worth considering: if you do not plan on spending more than 10 hours in the sun, you may not need the 30 hours of protection that an SPF 30 may offer. In fact, when is the last time you saw 30 hours of daylight?
The bottom line, lower SPFs, applied more often, may offer similar sun protection as higher SPFs. I don't think I can beg you any stronger to look at the ingredients on your sunscreens! Just because they are mineral-based does not mean you should use them!!
There are many sunscreens that are non-toxic, but my fave by far is the Mineral Sunscreen by YL. It comes in SPF 10 or 50. The ingredients are clean and it works!
Bug Spray
Don’t let bug bites ruin your family’s outdoor fun this summer! But, just say NO to DEET! Here are some lovely side effects of DEET in children reported by the CDC:
Children with DEET toxicity reported lethargy, headaches, tremors, involuntary movements, seizures, and convulsions, though the amount that led to this toxicity was unreported.
Young Living's insect repellent is our favorite way to keep mosquitos, ticks, and fleas away. It’s proven to repel them with 99 percent active ingredients, plus 1 percent vitamin E to moisturize and condition the skin. And the best part, it rubs easily into the skin without feeling greasy or sticky and you don’t feel like you need a shower after heading outdoors. It may seem pricey at first but one bottle has lasted our family for a couple of years.
In case you forget to use your insect repellent before heading outdoors, this roller comes in handy to bring relief and support healthy skin.
KID DILUTION (AGES 3-8)
8 drops Lavender essential oil
8 drops Purification® essential oil
5 drops Tea Tree (Melaleuca
Alternifolia) essential oil
Organic fractionated coconut oil or carrier oil of your choice
ADULT DILUTION
15 drops Lavender essential oil
15 drops Purification® essential oil
8 drops Tea Tree (Melaleuca
Alternifolia) essential oil
Organic fractionated coconut oil or carrier oil of your choice
Drop essential oils into a 10ml roller bottle. Fill the remainder of the bottle with fractionated coconut oil.
There are 100,000 chemicals on the market today. The toxic Substance Control Act of 1976 grandfathered them in. What does that mean to you? Simply put: these chemicals have not had any safety testing, and we know very little information about their side effects. Since 1940's prostate cancer is up 200%, Thyroid cancer up 155%, Brain cancer up 70%. What happens when your body is chemically overloaded? It may not be cancer, but we can feel in ways like: lethargy, inability to focus, sleep trouble, chronic inflammation, unexplained pain, skin issues, adult acne, hot flashes, stress, anxiety, and fear. If you are tired of living in a chemically overloaded world, click the link below and learn how easy it is to change out chemicals for toxic-free living.
As far as I’m concerned, it’s never too early to start thinking (and dreaming) about summer…. So, this month we are going to talk all about preparing for the summer months!
Up first, let’s talk about skin. Summer skin is much different than winter skin and the skin on our face is much different than the skin on our feet. One of the best ways to get all skin in summer shape is to exfoliate!
Exfoliation for skin is the holy grail of skincare.
However, too much of it is also bad. When exfoliation is done right, it makes the skin much smoother, cleaner, better, and younger. But if you use an exfoliator that’s a bit rough on the skin, or apply it too much or too often, or, even if you combine two or more exfoliating agents, then it’s very likely that is going to over-exfoliate your skin which can damage your skin’s lipid barrier. When this happens, our skin becomes rosy, puffy, or a bit swollen and can be easily inflamed. This inflammation can then escalate into an acne breakout. Using too much exfoliant also removes too much of the surface layer of the skin, taking away with it all the trapped moisture and your skin can become visibly dry and dehydrated.
The best way to exfoliate your face is to make small, circular motions using your fingers to apply a scrub according to your skin type. My absolute favorite scrub is the Satin Mint Facial Scrub! If you are using a brush, make short, light strokes. Exfoliate for about 30 seconds and then rinse your face with lukewarm water. Keep in mind that the water should not be too hot.
When exfoliating other parts of your body like elbows, knees, and feet it may take a more heavy-duty scrub but it’s still important to not get carried away and scrub your skin too vigorously either while you’re washing or as you dry off. When you’re exfoliating, let the product do its job, and don’t feel the need to take off a layer of healthy skin cells by pressing too hard. And after you’re done with your shower or bath, be sure to pat dry rather than rubbing the towel back and forth across your body with all your strength. Over-scrubbing can cause dry skin to peel off before it’s ready to be removed. The scrubbing should be done gently in the shower, and when it’s time to dry, show your skin a little tenderness.
Check out my favorite DIY body scrub here:
Need to grab the oils above? Click Here to shop with me! Once you have that skin beautifully exfoliated, don't forget to moisturize! Check out this blog post to learn more about natural hydration for dry winter skin.
See you next week when we talk about prepping your home for summer!
There are 100,000 chemicals on the market today. The toxic Substance Control Act of 1976 grandfathered them in. What does that mean to you? Simply put: these chemicals have not had any safety testing, and we know very little information about their side effects. Since 1940's prostate cancer is up 200%, Thyroid cancer up 155%, Brain cancer up 70%. What happens when your body is chemically overloaded? It may not be cancer, but we can feel in ways like: lethargy, inability to focus, sleep trouble, chronic inflammation, unexplained pain, skin issues, adult acne, hot flashes, stress, anxiety, and fear. If you are tired of living in a chemically overloaded world, click the link below and learn how easy it is to change out chemicals for toxic-free living.
Years ago I was struggling with not being able to get out of bed every morning. I had baby #5 and in my mind I thought is was post partum. BUT as time moved on, more symptoms moved in and more issues arose. I began to feel so depressed because I really couldn't do what I normally did- I was so tired I couldn't move, I would sit in the floor and I couldn't get up, my feet hurt so bad it felt like I was walking on nails, and I would have to sit most of the day because I couldn't stand on them. I had 5 kids and a baby to take care of and I wasn't really sure how to go on.
I decided if I lost weight maybe that would help, so I began eating air! hehe and began to lose. Funny thing is the air was all that felt good to eat. So, I lost weight and I did feel somewhat better, but still had some pain. I began to realize there was some food that made me feel bad as I began adding food back to my diet. So, I went to the doctor to get some idea of what was going on. He told me that I had high cholesterol, high blood pressure, I was borderline diabetic, and I had celiac and neuropathy.
He hand me a pile of prescriptions and said this will make it better and by the way just continue to eat air. hehe. I asked him if all the prescriptions were necessary if I continued to lose weight and feel better. He said no, but I needed to lose about 60 more pounds. As I lost the weight, I didn't end up with having to take all the medicine and I learned a whole lot along the way.
When Josh was then 9 months old, I was introduced to Young Living. I discovered a whole new world of living, losing weight, and taking care of my family. The first time I used Stress Away on the screaming baby it was like a light shined down from heaven onto this little bottle and angels sang! I was in love and it was amazing. The screaming stopped and the fevers went down, and the coughs subsided with just a few little drops from these amazing little bottles. The world was in alignment again. WOW! So needless to say, I never looked back.
Through this experience though, I began to really wonder why my body was "healing" itself, what made these oils really work, why did all these different crazy ailments just go away? I began to research and learn all I could. I went back to school and became a CHFNC (CERTIFIED HOLISTIC FUNCTIONAL NUTRITION COUNSELOR). That is a lot of words to say that I learned how the body works, how the body can heal itself through food and natural remedies, and what western medicine is doing to our bodies. I have discovered so many life changing things and I want so much to share them with you.
Because of lack of nutrition, our body can be toxic which can lead to illnesses such as allergies, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and infertility just to name a few and all all are directly related to our digestive system. Allergies, for example, stem principally from the body's inability to fully and properly digest food. Because of this there are too many strange proteins floating around in the bloodstream, needlessly stimulating the immune system. Then, when another foreign protein such as grass pollen or fruit tree pollen comes along, the body sends histamines to attack it, resulting in an allergic response such as a runny nose or teary eyes. This is just a small example of what is going on in our body on a regular basis.
On Monday, we begin our 28 To Elevate program. A 28 day in depth workshop where we will deep dive into our mindset around food and health, look at starting an exercise program that would be right for you (start slow and low then build for your level), discover how to heal your body naturally, and the how, when, what, and whys of doing a cleanse. On week 4 of the program, we will do a 5 day cleanse together (don't worry it isn't just air).
This program will set you up for life long winning health! You will learn how to properly take care of your body all year around and have a winning attitude while doing it! Everything comes down to our attitude and mindset. If we are not in a place to welcome change and growth, then we will not have the opportunity to do better.
In the program, we will:
- Have a weekly zoom where we will learn together specific topics for the week. Grow together and learn from one another. Every Tuesday at noon.
- Digital scans to learn what is out of balance in our body and how to bring our body back into balance.
- Workbook for daily accountability, guidance, and reflection.
- One on One help in creating a wellness plan just for you that is easy to stick to and help your body begin to heal.
- A personal group page just for 28 To Elevate students (off of Facebook). Each day you will receive a new lesson and action steps of the day. There are some oily suggestions. You can choose whether to add those to your program or not. They definitely add a extra element to the program if you do use them.
So, grab this LINK and get signed up and I will see you on Monday morning.
YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY. ARE YOU READY FOR CHANGE?
There are 100,000 chemicals on the market today. The toxic Substance Control Act of 1976 grandfathered them in. What does that mean to you? Simply put: these chemicals have not had any safety testing, and we know very little information about their side effects. Since 1940's prostate cancer is up 200%, Thyroid cancer up 155%, Brain cancer up 70%. What happens when your body is chemically overloaded? It may not be cancer, but we can feel in ways like: lethargy, inability to focus, sleep trouble, chronic inflammation, unexplained pain, skin issues, adult acne, hot flashes, stress, anxiety, and fear. If you are tired of living in a chemically overloaded world, click the link below and learn how easy it is to change out chemicals for toxic-free living.
Exhausted? Not sleeping well? Hitting those afternoon slumps? This month I am talking all things energy, stress, and sleep!!
Today, I am going to dive deep into four ways to boost energy levels--naturally!
Read more...