Health

Physical health, illness, overcoming health challenges, healthy lifestyle, and practices.

10 Ways to Advocate for Your Special Needs Child

As parents, we are all aware of the need to advocate for our children. But, when you have a special needs child, the stakes seem that much higher considering the assistance you will inevitably need to face the extra challenges. Special education services and resources can be limited and in order to access them, as well as the obscene amount of finances they often demand, it will require tenacity not to mention information and skills. My determination to see my daughter’s needs met collided hard with the reality of a broken system. Files get lost, phone calls are not returned, valid needs get denied, and red tape is everywhere. In response to my expressed frustration, people often told me, “The squeaky wheel […]

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Can I Be a Hippie in Heels? Balancing a Healthy Lifestyle

Can I Be a Hippie in Heels? Balancing a Healthy Lifestyle

In my family’s eyes, I am their resident hippie. However, in my eyes, I don’t even scratch the surface of what this could entail; my dabbling in probiotics and essential oils hardly makes me a hippie. I have friends who grind their own wheat for crying out loud! But after the birth of my first son, I admittedly took off my stilettos and dipped my toes into the cool and fascinating pool of holistic living, and I’ve been wading in deeper and deeper ever since. Short of an extreme health crisis, I’m not sure anyone jumps into the deep end all at once and so my hope is to encourage those who are making small steps towards holistic health to continue to do

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How Running Became About More Than Fitness to Me

How Running Became About More Than Fitness to Me

Gripping many of the cities across our great country right now are the cold temperatures associated with winter. Though I may not feel it currently in my new home of Bonita Beach, Florida—where the average daily temperature for the past few months have fallen sublimely in the mid-80s—I am reminded of the 5 years I spent in Charlotte, North Carolina during my post-graduate life, starting out in the working world as a young professional. One of my favorite hobbies and ways to exercise was running. I had always been a sprinter when running before, so I challenged myself over the course of several years to build up some stamina, so that I could cover more distance and discover the city this way.

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5-Easy-Ways-to-Maintain-Your-Health1

5 Easy Ways to Maintain Your Health

I am not a medical professional, but I have lived long enough to watch ladies, myself included, simply wear themselves out. We’re running and gunning, trying to get all things accomplished, and, as we do, we are almost always neglecting ourselves. Here are 5 things I’ve learned about protecting your health so that you can keep your forward movement, well, moving forward. 1. Eliminate Stress. And you say, “Yeah right, like that’s gonna happen.” You can’t relieve all stressors, but ladies, if we are honest we can relieve the unnecessary ones. You do not have to do everything for everyone with perfection as your goal. Choose the best things, based on your priorities, and give yourself a break. 2. Quit Dieting. I’m not saying we won’t ever find ourselves in a season of life when we need

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5-Everyday-Essential-Oils-for-Beginners

5 Everyday Essential Oils for Beginners

If you’re like me, when you get a headache you probably run straight to your purse to retrieve your maraca, more commonly known as Excedrin. If you have just one more cup of coffee—maybe with an extra shot of espresso (or two)—you will get through this day. While you’ve probably heard and seen much talk about essential oils, you may also have some doubts. I was first introduced to them after searching for a natural way to take better care of my sun-damaged skin. Since then, I’ve slowly built a small collection. I have zero plans to become a distributor, professional, or to even write any more about them (though there’s nothing wrong with any one of those things); I just want to share my top five essential oils

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Ginger health benefits and starter recipes

Why You Need to Try Ginger, the Magic Spice

From nausea to indigestion, I have struggled with stomach issues for as long as I can remember. When I became pregnant, these symptoms seemed to heighten with morning sickness and a growing baby. That’s when I did a little research and learned about a magical food: the ginger root. Ginger root is most commonly found pickled and sliced, accompanying your sushi. That’s how I was first introduced to it, and I absolutely fell in love. However, I began to see its true benefits when I started adding it to the meals I prepare at home. Here are just a few of the amazing things ginger can do for you: 1. It curbs nausea and helps to eliminate indigestion. 2. It is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, which can also ease muscle aches and pains while

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5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Nutrition

5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Nutrition

If you want to eat healthier but you aren’t sure where to start, here are some suggestions for you! I’ve learned these on my own, from family members (especially my hubby), and from other healthy friends who have walked alongside me on my health journey. I hope these are helpful to you! 1. Get to the grocery store. This is where it all starts. Getting more groceries and ordering less take out is often the first step in getting and staying healthy. When you go to the grocery store, the best way to shop is for ingredients, not finished products. Processed foods (things that are pre-made, like freezer meals, boxed meals, etc.) have more preservatives and added ingredients that you don’t need, and aren’t

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Practical Tips for When Your Loved One is Terminally Ill

Practical Tips for When Your Loved One is Terminally Ill

When someone you love is very ill or dealing with a terminal illness it can be exhausting emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. There is so much to deal with, and it looms larger than you. Every. Single. Day. Friends at a law firm gave us one of the most helpful and thoughtful gifts when my mother was in her final months of battling cancer. It is a gift that I would have never thought to put together, but it “saved the day” on many occasions when I was dealing with the business that came with caring for my mom. First, let me state that I am not an attorney. These are documents that we found helpful in the care plan for my mother who was living with terminal cancer

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God knows your life, your needs and the hair on your head

My False Eye and Clear Perspective on Life

I have a prosthetic eye. Now, here are answers to frequently asked questions about having a prosthetic eye: 1. Yes, I can take it out. No, it doesn’t bleed or hurt when I do. I only remove it for occasional cleanings. 2. No, I do not/will not take it out for people to see. 3. I have a custom eye created about every five years. In the simplest term, custom means having a mold created specifically for my eye socket and then hand painting the prosthesis to match my eye color. It’s really a fascinating process that takes several days. 4. No, I don’t have any weird custom eyes (cat or snake eyes, bloodshot eye, different color, etc.). It is always a

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The-Best-Way-to-Clean-Fruits-and-Vegetables

The Best Way to Clean Fruits and Vegetables

There are many foreign organisms that live on food, some good and some bad. It is important to wash all your fruit and vegetables from the store when you get home. Think about how many people pick up produce and put it back. In their journeys from the farm to the store, a number of hands touch your food. Even if you get organic, there is still a chance of getting bugs, organisms, and pesticide run off on them. According to an article from mindbodygreen.com, below is a list of the top 13 dirtiest and top 15 cleanest fruits and vegetables (from 2015). Dirtiest Fruits and Veggies: 1. Peaches 2. Nectarines 3. Strawberries 4. Grapes 5. Celery 6. Spinach 7. Sweet Bell Peppers 8. Cucumbers 9.

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Grace in the Desert

Grace in the Desert

I have wandered in the desert… And it wasn’t merely a stroll. It was a long, hearty trail. And it took a few years. My desert began when I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, which was quickly followed by a break up with my high school sweetheart who I had dated for 5.5 years, and then topped-off by turmoil within my immediate family. There were times when I felt like I was living a nightmare… one from which I could not awaken. There were times I felt like I was drowning in my grief and tears. There were times when I simply wanted to give up. More than anything: I was needy, vulnerable and desperate in the desert. But Jesus Christ

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