Rising above Holiday Stress

The holidays are here. It seems like I have just gotten used to writing 2013. If you are like me, the holidays are much anticipated but can also be the cause of much stress. Here are some tips to rise above the holiday stress.

1. Have an attitude of gratitude. Every morning write down your first thoughts of the day and try to be positive.
2. Spend time in prayer. Start your day reading God's word. Praise God. Express your gratitude to Him.
3. Stay hydrated. Stress intensifies if you are not well hydrated. Try to drink water throughout the day. Make a conscious effort to drink 8-12 glasses of water a day.
4. Make a list. Write down what you need to do and follow the list. Make a master list then break it down into doable segments for each day.
5. Eat healthy. I am working on the 90/10 plan. 90 percent of the time I am eating healthy and 10 percent of the time I am going to allow myself some of the traditional holiday fare.
6. Ask for help. Luckily I have an amazing husband that cares for me and takes care of me. He is more than willing to jump in and  help so I will not "stress out".
7. Get some exercise.  Just move. Take a walk, do some yoga, rake leaves...
8. Get quality sleep. Try this little exercise... Just before bed write down three things that went good that day. Write down how and why those things happened like they did. You will go to sleep with a positive attitude instead of worrying about what you have left to do.

I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Self Care

Wow! Today I must need to talk about self care....
One of my daily devotions reminded me that sometimes we do and do and do for others and forget to do for ourselves...
This is hard to balance at this time---On one hand we are taught to give of ourselves to others. This is the Christian thing to do. Then on the other hand, if we give and give and give we may not take the time to nurture our relationship with the One who fills us... Jesus Christ himself in the Holy Spirit.

Another article I read today was talking about people who drain you...when you are around these people you just feel negative. I have been dealing with this lately... The article again went back to self care. We are responsible for our own emotions. I AM NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO CHANGE ANYONE!

So what to do?

Nurture my spirituality--- Spend time with the ONE who loves me the most. For me I need to get into the Bible--soak up the word of God... Maybe a day retreat for myself would be good.

Exercise--- I am going to walk today and do my beginning Yoga. This helps me feel better so I can keep a positive attitude.

Work on my relationships---Support from people who love me and care about me will help to strengthen me and help me to have confidence in me.

I hope this helps you too.. Have a great day!

National Eating Heathy Day

Hi...

I won't normally be posting this often, but today is National Eating Healthy Day sponsored by the American Heart Association....

I had to share.

Try Adding these things to your diet:

12-14  8oz glasses of water
Dark Green Leafy vegetables
Eat your colors--- Eating a variety of colorful food helps insure you get the right vitamins
You need healthy protein like nuts, beans, wild caught fish and organic free- range chicken .

Try crowding out these things:

Sugar
Artificial Sweeteners
White flour products

Try this delicious Grain Free pumpkin Muffin recipe

Yummy Grain-free Muffins

2 eggs ( you can substitute 2Tbsp Chia seeds mixed with 3/4 cup warm water, let sit 5minutes to congeal)

1 ½ cup almond milk (may need more to help with consistency, muffin dough should be wet but not runny)

1can (15oz) organic pumpkin puree

1/2cup melted coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup garbanzo bean flour

1/3 cup coconut flour

2/3 cup Almond flour

3 pkgs (individual ) Stevia

¾ tsp baking soda

½ tsp pink sea salt

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp all spice

¼ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp cardamom (optional)

½ tsp fenugreek (optional, my husband likes this spice in there. It gives it a maple taste)

½ cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup dairy free gluten free chocolate chips( you can also add dried fruit like raisins or cranberries; pumpkin seeds)

3Tbsp flax meal

2Tbsp chia seeds if you did not use this to substitute for the eggs

Makes 18 medium muffins. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together ingredients. Line muffin cups with paper or prepare with coconut oil. Fill each cup with batter. Bake for 30 minutes. They are ready when tooth pick comes out clean from center of muffin. I refrigerate after cooling. I also mix up the wet ingredients  using pureed zucchini and spinach instead of pumpkin sometimes. You could use the spices for your favorite zucchini bread. You could also use banana instead of the pumpkin… about 1 ½ cups mashed banana. Play with it

Welcome

Welcome to my journey to Joyous Health... 11-4-2013

My inspiration is- My Heavenly Father 1Corinthians 3:16-17 I am God's temple.
My Godly and caring husband who wants me around when we retire.                     
My seven active, involved, adventurous children(6 are mine and one daughter-in-law)                          My two wonderfully active, precious , growing grand children-- They need Mam-ma to be able to get up and go.
My Parents-- 78 and almost 80-- who have always tried to be healthy . They have an amazing spiritual life. My mom is a great cook and has always tried to cook  healthy food. My dad has exercised faithfully for the last 30 years. They have great relationships.                       
My brother, who is fighting the battle of his life right now, but who will ultimately win the war because he is a great spiritual warrior.
My sister, who is also a faithful spiritual warrior. She has taught aerobics class and she is an awesome cook.
I also have to say that my journey started this summer with Birmingham Integrative Health. They are great if you are looking for a good Doctor.

Today is a beautiful day in Alabama. I want to share five healthy tips for today.....

1. Exercise- Get up out of that chair. Take a walk, even if it is just to the mail box.. go.
2. Pray or meditate-This is the day that the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
3. Eat mindfully- What are you eating today that is good fuel for your body? I am having "Grain- free " muffins for breakfast; Tilapia, asparagus and salad for lunch; and Organic Beef , salad and a baked sweet potato for supper. I have to snack a little, so that will be nuts.
4. Nurture your relationships-  Spend time with your significant other, even if it is just 5 minutes of meaningful conversation. Spend time with your children; read a book, play a game.  My boy loves a back rub.
5. Crowd out one unhealthy food- Choose healthy options like raw nuts, water, green vegetables, healthy fats like coconut or avocado.