Finding time and energy to care for yourself can be challenging for anyone at any time. But add a full- or part-time role as a caregiver to your list of responsibilities, and that challenge becomes even greater. Your loved one may need significant attention, day in and day out. Your routine changes, as you juggle established priorities and new caregiving-related ones. And you want to be at … [Read more...] about Care for the Caregiver: Prioritizing Your Loved One and Yourself
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
How Your Physical Space Can Help or Hinder Your Health
Changing habits isn't simply a matter of having more willpower or motivation. Our physical space - the places we live, work, and play - can help or hinder us as we attempt to live healthier lives. And we often overlook their importance. Some environmental problems - pollution and global warming, for example - can impact our health negatively. And they require not only individual but also … [Read more...] about How Your Physical Space Can Help or Hinder Your Health
Summer Sun and Bugs: Essential Oils to the Rescue
Summer brings plenty of opportunities for sunburns, bug bites, and other skin irritations. But essential oils can help when used pro-actively against bugs and in response to burns, stings, bites, or rashes. Below, I'll share some ideas for how to use these powerful compounds - and some recipes for "potions" that have worked for my family. I started learning about essential oils nearly four … [Read more...] about Summer Sun and Bugs: Essential Oils to the Rescue
Spring Allergies: Essential Oils to the Rescue
Got seasonal allergies from tree and grass pollen? Essential oils may help you support your bodily systems and rescue you from some symptoms. In our home, they've helped me turn our medicine cabinet into a health cabinet. I use them on an almost-daily basis, and not just for allergies. But allergies was the first reason! What are essential oils? Essential oils are made from the essence of a … [Read more...] about Spring Allergies: Essential Oils to the Rescue
Reduce Your Risk of Chronic Disease
What illnesses are the most common, costly, and preventable in our nation and other industrialized countries? Chronic disease. In the U.S., as of 2010, 86% of the nation’s $2.7 trillion annual health care expenditures were for people with chronic and mental health conditions. By 2017, that had increased to 90% of the nation's $3.8 trillion in annual health care costs. And heart disease, … [Read more...] about Reduce Your Risk of Chronic Disease
Step 3: Prep Your Environment for Success
Once you've determined your health vision and set some goals around it, it's time to set yourself up for success. Yesterday's step focused on creating a healthy-living "echo chamber" to help keep our minds focused on healthy habits. Next step: Pay attention to how our home and work spaces serve us. I've found that we must prep our environment so that it supports our efforts. So what's in your … [Read more...] about Step 3: Prep Your Environment for Success
