Creating Your "Happy Place"

        

Quite often meditation and visualization exercises will ask you to call upon your "happy place".  This place could be something you conjure up in your imagination, some place you have been before or would like to go.  Once you establish your own personal "happy place" and become familiar with it you can temporarily escape to this oasis whether deep in meditation or any other time you need.  Visualizing this place should invoke relaxation and calmness.  It can also be great for a quick mood booster...which is when mine comes in most handy.  I can't even think about my happy place without smiling instantly!  

My happy place, which I'll share with you shortly, is from Topsail Island and the many memories that were made there during my short stay in North Carolina.  Click on the link below for a short slideshow or my happy place and then read on for tips on reaching your own.

My Happy Place (Topsail Island)

Happiness awaits with these simple steps:

• Close your eyes.
• Take a few deep breaths to center yourself.
• Begin by picturing the happy place in your mind. 
• Next imagine what other sensations you might notice there (scents, sounds, feelings, etc.)
• Spend as much time as you would like or have available. 

DISCLAIMER: The content on this blog, www.mind-bodypursuit.blogspot.com, represents the thoughts, ideas, and experiences of its author and should be taken as such…with a grain of salt.  It is for entertainment purposes only and not intended to prevent, diagnose, or cure.  Before trying any new physical activity, dietary plan, supplementation, complementary and alternative therapy, or other wellness tip please seek the guidance of a qualified professional.

 

Keeping Pregnant Feet Happy

Swelling of the feet and ankles is one of those notorious pregnancy symptoms right up there with morning sickness and back aches.  Needless to say I was not looking forward to this experience.  Twenty-eight weeks came and went...no swelling.  Then thirty, thirty-one, and thirty-two weeks...still no swelling.  At this point I was naive enough to think I might be lucky and skip this whole unpleasantness.  Well then week thirty-three hit, along with a few 96 degree days, and suddenly my ankles more closely resembled those of an elephant!  So the past week instead of writing I have been researching and experimenting with ways to relieve my puffy, hot, and otherwise irritable feet.  Here are some of the methods that I found to be most helpful.

Staying hydrated.  This one sounds funny...if swelling is caused by a retention of fluid then why would we want to drink more water!?  Well as my nurse explained it to me, drinking plenty of water helps to thin the fluid that is being held around the feet and ankles which makes it easier to dissipate.  Plus, staying well hydrated during pregnancy is just good for you anyways.

Drink lemon water.  Lemon is a very effective diuretic so it can help relieve swelling by removing excess water being retained in the feet, ankles, and anywhere else for that matter.  I love lemon to begin with so this was an easy one for me. I not only put a few slices in my water and iced tea, but squeezed it over salads as well. 

Put your feet up. There was never a better excuse to sit back and prop those babies up.  Elevating your feet so that they are above your heart is said to help increase blood flow and reduce the chance of it pooling around the lower extremities.  My nurse also suggested sleeping on my left side to help take pressure off of the main artery that circulates blood to these areas.

Stay active.  I found that swelling was just as bad on days that I laid around this way as it was when I was on my feet all day.  Moving around increases circulation in the body.  This along with stretching also helps to prevent joints from stiffening which I've noticed happens quite easily when sitting in one position for a while.  What worked best for me was a combination of both being up walking around and taking breaks to sit down off and on.


Try aromatherapy. Certain essential oils such as peppermint and citruses can be applied either during massage, as a lotion, or in a spray to refresh them.  I purchased a cooling foot spray from Bath & Body Works that contained peppermint.  It helped relieve the hot, tingly feeling I would get after being on my feet for a while.  I carried this stuff with me everywhere and used it often.

Put 'em on ice.  Some would argue that using ice for this kind of swelling is not actually beneficial.  More often my feet were not necessarily swollen, but just hot and achy.  The feeling of an ice pack wrapped in a soft towel under my toes was amazing.  Since I spend a lot of time at my computer I would place it on the floor under my desk and rest my feet on it.  So whether it truly helped or not I don't know, but it sure felt like it did.

DISCLAIMER: The content on this blog, www.mind-bodypursuit.blogspot.com, represents the thoughts, ideas, and experiences of its author and should be taken as such…with a grain of salt.  It is for entertainment purposes only and not intended to prevent, diagnose, or cure.  Before trying any new physical activity, dietary plan, supplementation, complementary and alternative therapy, or other wellness tip please seek the guidance of a qualified professional.

Caprese Pasta Salad

          Well today is my ten year high school reunion...where has the time gone!?!  I'm looking forward to catching up with old friends, classmates, and their families.  The forecast is showing it's supposed to be a beautiful day for our get together.  This picnic seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to break out one of my all-time favorite summer salad recipes.  I could seriously live off this stuff all summer long, it's that good!  It's even better when the tomatoes start to ripen in the garden and you can pair them with fresh-picked basil and spring onions too.  You can omit the pasta for a lighter dish, but I wouldn't skimp on the mozzarella...it really wouldn't be the same! 

Ingredients:
1 box of your favorite pasta (I used rotini here, but anything works)
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2-3 spring onions
A handful of fresh basil
1 cup mozzarella pearls
1 bottle balsamic vinaigrette dressing (or make your own if you like)

Directions:

Cook the pasta, drain, and set aside in a large bowl.  Slice the cherry tomatoes in half, slice the spring onions, and roughly chop the basil.  Add all three to the bowl of pasta along with the mozzarella pearls.  Stir in the entire bottle of balsamic vinaigrette (this may look like a lot but trust me the pasta will really soak it up).  Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  The flavors really are best if you let it marinate in the fridge for at least a couple hours prior to enjoying!

DISCLAIMER: The content on this blog, www.mind-bodypursuit.blogspot.com, represents the thoughts, ideas, and experiences of its author and should be taken as such…with a grain of salt.  It is for entertainment purposes only and not intended to prevent, diagnose, or cure.  Before trying any new physical activity, dietary plan, supplementation, complementary and alternative therapy, or other wellness tip please seek the guidance of a qualified professional.

Mooo...Let's Celebrate National Dairy Month!

       

           For those of you that know me well this post may come as a surprise since I have always hated milk!  I do realize the importance of dairy in the diet...it provides calcium and eight other essential nutrients the body needs.  Milk consumption has been promoted as beneficial in weight management, bone health, and cardiovascular health just to name a few. (For more information on milk and nutrition check out the resources below.)  Even though I refuse to sit down and drink a glass of milk, I find other ways to get my 3 cups per day.  I will use milk in my cereal and smoothies.  I also enjoy cheese, yogurt, and of course ice cream!

           Now there are many ways to go out and celebrate National Dairy Month.  This sounds like an excuse to hit up the ice cream stand every day, but that could also be the pregnancy cravings talking!  Instead, why not give the gift of milk to those that need it most?  The Great American Milk Drive is a nationwide program that provides individuals with the opportunity to donate milk to local food banks.  Just log on to https://milklife.com/give/donate and donate today!

Resources:

International Dairy Foods Association. (2014). June is national dairy month. Retrieved from  http://www.idfa.org/news-views/media-kits/cheese/june-is-national-dairy-month

National Dairy Council. (2011). 30 days of dairy. Retrieved from http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/30-Days-of-Dairy.pdf

National Dairy Council. (2011). Improve your diet with dairy.  Retrieved from http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/education_materials/dietary_guidance/Improve%20Diet%20Quality%20with%20Dairy%202.2%20APPROVED.pdf

U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2014). Dairy. Retrieved from http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/dairy.html

DISCLAIMER: The content on this blog, www.mind-bodypursuit.blogspot.com, represents the thoughts, ideas, and experiences of its author and should be taken as such…with a grain of salt.  It is for entertainment purposes only and not intended to prevent, diagnose, or cure.  Before trying any new physical activity, dietary plan, supplementation, complementary and alternative therapy, or other wellness tip please seek the guidance of a qualified professional.

Lilacs...Beautiful, Fragrant, and Delicious!

          The lilacs around our house were particularly pretty this spring.  We had bushes of both white and deep purple that were just full with bunches of blossoms.  I loved being able to smell them as soon as I stepped out the door.  We also snipped bunches for bouquets to enjoy indoors as well while they lasted.  I just could not get enough of them...that is until I stumbled across a recipe for lilac jelly.  I didn't even know lilacs were edible!  After some additional research to make sure that they indeed were I was intrigued with the possibilities and the fact that now I could get my lilac fix all year long.  

          I set out right away to get the ingredients I needed for the recipe that I had found here: Lost Past Remembered-Summer begins with lilac jelly and croissants in a little corner of heaven..  Before I could even begin I had to remove the blossoms from their stems which was somewhat tedious work, but kind of fun as well if that makes any sense.  Then I set out to actually making the jelly.  I used just plain water with mine since I was very curious as to how the lilac would taste itself and didn't want its flavor to be hidden by the juice or wine as the recipe suggests.  I failed to read the part about using additional pectin to get a thicker jelly-like consistency so I ended up with a syrup instead.  It came out in a beautiful pinkish color and the taste was incredible so I wasn't in the least bit disappointed!  Instead I started dreaming up ways to use the syrup. We tried it on pancakes, over ice cream, as a dressing for fruit salad, and my absolute favorite: lilac iced tea.

          To make this wonderful beverage I brewed a pitcher of iced tea using 3 early grey tea bags and let it cool.  Then I filled a glass with ice, put in about 2-3 squirts of the lilac syrup, added a lemon slice, and poured the early grey tea over top.  Not only was it incredibly refreshing and yummy, but pretty too!

DISCLAIMER: The content on this blog, www.mind-bodypursuit.blogspot.com, represents the thoughts, ideas, and experiences of its author and should be taken as such…with a grain of salt.  It is for entertainment purposes only and not intended to prevent, diagnose, or cure.  Before trying any new physical activity, dietary plan, supplementation, complementary and alternative therapy, or other wellness tip please seek the guidance of a qualified professional.