Winter Safety Series: Your Health - "10 Tips For Winter Health Survival" #health #wellness

Shorter days means more time spent indoors during these winter months. It is just as important to take care of your own personal health and wellness since winter germs are at their highest. Add in the weather threats, with frigid temperatures,snow and ice and we are all set for winter misery!
Taking extra steps to boost that immune system this time of year can go a long long way to keeping you feeling good enough to fight off seasonal threats. When your health is optimal your personal survival skills are at top form. Your energy levels are higher,risks of falls or injury are lower since you have prepared ahead for any threat Mother Nature or your clumsy feet can throw at you.

My top 10 tips for "Winter Health Survival" are preventative measures that we all need to fight the winter yucks!

1. Wash your dang hands! So important to not spread your germy germs all over the place. Use soap and water when possible, not all germs are killed by hand sanitizers. Cover your mouth/nose when coughing and sneezing too, nobody wants your germs
2. Sleep: your body needs sleep to reboot and repair.This is an essential, try some lavender essential oil to help you sleep, rub on the bottoms of your feet or spray on your pillow...it works!
3. Water: hydration is key, nobody gets enough water or good fluids,so when you do get sick you are starting off low already. It's hard to catch up when you are ill. Soda is not hydration! Avoid sugary sweet drinks, these will not hydrate you well, try flavored waters if you can't drink water plain.
4. Probiotics- take care of your gut, 80% of your immune system is in your gut! Probiotics daily are very important during the winter,even children can take them. I have noticed a huge difference in my wellness and immune system after I started taking a probiotic daily.
5. Eat well: ( or at least better) -fruits, veggies think color of the rainbow. Stay away from processed foods and sugary sweets, these will only leave your body craving nutrients.
6. Move your butt! Simply getting off the couch and moving somehow,even walking around the house or block. Exercise will help keep your core strong to help prevent falls, increases endorphins ( feel good chemicals in your brain) and help ward off the winter blues.
7. Prevent falls: in addition to exercise that strengthens your core muscles, make sure to check your surrounding areas for potential situations that might lead to falls. Loose throw rugs, items in the floor you might trip on, toys in the floor, lack of proper lighting, steps with loose carpet or wood, railings that are loose or not secure etc. An few moments checking around your house, yard and/or work environments might prevent you or someone else from a nasty fall. If you need assistance, such as a cane or walker please use it, don't be to proud to ask for help. 
8. Be Prepared: Ahead of time, educate yourself on potential dangers in the winter weather, know the signs and symptoms of hypothermia and frostbite, along with carbon monoxide poisoning signs/symptoms.
9. Supplements: during the winter our diets may need additional supplements of vitamins and minerals along with other crucial nutrients. Add a good multivitamin, B-complex and Omega 3 supplements to your arsenal of wellness helpers. Ask your doctor if you are not sure what to take.
10. Aromatherapy : Scent or aroma has a powerful effect on the brain and the body. Many essential oils can help ward off seasonal threats, help you sleep and elevate your mood. Use an essential oil diffuser in your house, especially in your bedroom, to help keep your family and yourself well. We have several in our house, a large capacity diffuser in our living room/dining room open space with a protective essential oil blend diffusing all the time. All of our bedrooms also have EO diffusers in them, so we can diffuse oils at bedtime to help us sleep. Check out my page here to learn more about which essential oils my family uses. 

I hope some of these info-graphics below are helpful and give you more information on a safe and healthy winter! 

Walk like a penguin when walking on ice

Learn the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning!

Here are some tips for you!

Know the signs of frostbite!

Hypothermia! Killer Cold!

 

Please promise to be safe this winter and stay well as you can, as an ER Nurse we love company but hate to see patients in such misery during the cold winter months, plus we don't want your germs either....lol Stay tuned tomorrow for my last post in this series "Winter Safety Series- Keeping Your Pets Safe and Warm" , I will share tips on how to keep your precious little/and big fur-babies safe this winter too!
Until then, stay warm!!

The Ultimate Healthy Living, Herbs and Essential Oils Bundles...2 days only!

Just imagine enjoying radiant good health… waking up with high energy every single day… feeling your body grow stronger… being able to offer your family alternative ways to heal when they get everyday ailments, and supporting better wellness overall so you get sick less often.

And imagine having a resource you can turn to, like a wise mentor, as new situations arise. You won’t have to spend hours crawling around the internet to get answers. You can be confident that you understand what you’re using, and aren’t taking risks with your family’s health.
One of my favorite online companies loves to put together what they call “bundles” which is their way of saying “a crazy amount of value in one really affordable package”.
Well, they’ve brought back two of their most popular bundles, just in time to get ready for a healthy new year! The first one’s called The Herbs and Essential Oils Super Bundle and The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle.
Let’s talk about The Herbs and Essential Oils Super Bundle first. This bundle has 21 eBooks, eCourses, and printable cheat sheets, many of which are written by certified herbalists, aromatherapists, health researchers, educators and more, and are extremely practical and user-friendly.
Normally you’d buy these resources for more than $400.
But with their bundle model, you pay just $29.97 – less than 10% of the retail value – and less than your copay for many routine doctor visits.
With your bundle, you’ll have access to resources that teach you:

• a 6-point checklist to choose only the highest quality, most effective essential oils
• the 5 essential oils you’ll want to keep on hand
• how to give yourself an emotional lift with a special mixture of two herbs, and how you can relax and fall asleep naturally
• how to make an immune boost tincture formula
• a lavender scalp treatment that leaves your hair soft and shiny (and a foot scrub that leaves your skin soft and soothes jangled nerves at the same time)

Learn more or get your Herbs & Essential Oils Super Bundle here.

And if that sounds good, let me tell you about The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle.
You sort of need to see it to believe it, but the package includes 83 digital products and it’s worth over $2,400!
For the cost of a small bag of groceries, you’ll get a complete healthy living library to help you:

• prepare whole & delicious real food
• get the toxins out of your house for good
• understand and use natural remedies
• breathe new life into your exercise habits
• learn about important women’s health issues
• raise exceptionally healthy kids in an unhealthy world
• plus learn about gardening & homesteading, meal planning, weight loss and so much more!

Learn more or get your Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle here.

The only catch? These bundles are available for just 2 short days, so you need to grab yours quick! Last day to get yours is Thursday, December 29th.
P.S. A little birdie told me that after you buy one of these bundles, you’ll get a special offer on the second bundle, so be sure to watch for that after checkout!

2 days only to order these awesome Bundles!

Sweet Smell Of Health and Wellness ~ Peppermint #oilspotlight #essentialoils #nursestoolkit

Sweet smell of health and wellness-- Peppermint

Peppermint Oil 

One of my favorites, mixed with Lavender essential oil and applied to my temples, the bottom of my feet and back of my neck. Migraine gone!

I am a super believer in the power of essential oils, I have used many of them on myself, my family and even my pets. Amazing results from something from nature and not in a pill! 

~My Nurse Health Tool Kit with Peppermint~

• Anti-Nausea – Just put a drop in your water and drink it slowly. Also, rubbing a drop on your tummy soothes nausea.
• Clear Sinuses – Place on your feet, temples, chest, or simple inhale the peppermint oil. 
• Reduce Hunger Cravings – Place a drop or two in your water and drink in between meals.
• Fever-reducer – Simply place a drop on each foot or in bath water (mix with coconut oil or other carrier oil to apply to children's feet)
• Breath Freshener – place a drop on your tongue.
• Headache Relief – place a drop on your temples or the back of your neck where your pressure points are located ( I mix Lavender and sometimes Frankincense oils with Peppermint for my headache fix) 
• Bug Repellent – Place a few drops of peppermint oil on cotton balls and place where the bugs are coming in. Also, it will deter mice, spiders hate this stuff.
• Eliminates Motion Sickness – Place a drop on your tummy and temples. Also, drinking a glass of water with a drop of oil during the ride will help eliminate motion sickness.
• Diminishes Indigestion– Gently place a drop on your navel when you are experiencing uncomfortable indigestion.
• Soothes Sore Muscles – I like soaking in a tub with a few drops of peppermint oil or just rubbing the oil on your sore muscles (Add lavender, baking soda, Epson salts for a fantastic detox bath!)
• Prevents Dandruff – Place a few drops of peppermint oil in your bottle of shampoo, add some Melaluca(tea tree) oil for really stubborn flaky scalps.
• Hot Flash relief-- rub some oil on the back of your neck, forehead and anywhere else you need some cooling relief menopauseal ladies, I can attest that this really works (I put some in a roller ball with fractionated coconut oil or with witch-hazel and keep in my pocket at work-- Ahhhhhh relief) 
• Study and mental recall aid- diffuse peppermint in your study room to help with recalling information. Inhale to increase your oxygen intake by at least 25% and have better alertness.
• Night nurse pick me up- mix with lemon oil in your water and this will wake you up (make sure to use a glass or metal container) this also keeps me awake on the drive home in the am.
• Flavorings of course for all sorts of yummy recipes, I will add some soon. 
• I am sure I will think of more and add later...........

Want to learn more? click HERE for more information 

Below is a fantastic video about my favorite oil- Peppermint by one of my favorite doctors- Dr Josh Axe (draxe.com)

A simple guide to essential oils~ why are you not using them?

I can't tell you how much better I feel today by just using essential oils in my daily life. Yes I still have the usual aches and pains of a nurse that has worked for nearly 30 years, but my wellness and health is improving so much more everyday. All thanks to these wonderful little drops of love!

Stay tuned and I will share more with you, tips, recipes and other helpful hints on your health and wellness.

Order your Essential Oil tool kit today HERE  and get started on your new path.