Marya

How to Create a Hygge Lifestyle

October 3, 2018 by Marya 1 Comment

As the days grow darker and colder for many of us, it’s only natural to feel a little down about the coming months of shorter days, bad weather and staying in. We can look to the inspiration of the Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark to learn how to emotionally sustain ourselves through the fall and winter and create a hygge lifestyle that can serve you well throughout the year.

What Is Hygge Anyway?

You may have seen some mention of Hygge without really knowing what it is. For starters, hygge is actually pronounced hoo-gah. Hygge is a practice that originated in Denmark, as Danish believe in simplifying your life in order to bring in more positivity, comfort, and contentment. The Germans describe it as gemütlichkeit, and in Scotland, it’s called còsagach. Hygge is simply about creating an atmosphere of being cozy, warm, comfortable, positive, and happy. You start to spend more time with family and friends. You forget the trappings of material possessions and work to simplify your life. You spend more time in front of the fire while snuggling under a warm blanket. This is what hygge represents, and the good news is that you can learn to use it in your everyday life. Fall is a wonderful time to hygge. During this season, you naturally want to see your loved ones more often, express gratitude, and decorate your home.

How to Make Your House Smell Like Fall

Find some fall fragrances that you love and remind you of the season, then use them to relax. This is a wonderful way to unwind and get cozy in your home, while also embracing your favorite scents during the fall season. There are many different types of fall scents, including those that are stand alone scents like herbs and essential oils, and scents that are combined to remind you of everything from forests in the fall to the smell of baking treats in the kitchen. Here’s some ideas to get you started!

Burn candles. This is probably the simplest way to enjoy fall scents for hygge. You’re already relaxing on your couch, while snuggling under a cozy blanket with a good book. Lighting a candle is a great way to add some additional warmth and coziness. You can find many fall-inspired candle scents from pumpkin spice to vanilla chai latte.

Essential Oils. You can also use essential oils for an intoxicating fall aroma.. If you get an essential oil diffuser, you can add a few drops of your favorite scents to the diffuser. The great thing about oils is that they can be used alone, or you can create your own blends. There are also many fall-themed blends already mixed for you.

Use a Simmer Pot A simmer pot is made with a pot of water and herbs to bring a fall smell into your kitchen and the rest of your home. For a fall simmer pot, add ingredients like orange rinds, apple slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and any fall spices you happen to have on hand. Let it simmer over the stove, then turn the heat off, but leave the pot out.

Bake with Fall Spices. If you’d rather do actual baking instead of making a simmerpot, you can do that as well! Bake your favorite pumpkin pie, gingerbread cookies, or apple crumb to get those smells wafting throughout your home.

Put Out Some Potpourri Potpourri is great when you want the smell to last, without having to do anything extra. All you need to do is fill a big bowl with potpourri of a fall scent,then leave it out. Once the smell is gone, just replace it with something new.

Bring Cozy into Your Home

Hygge is all about being cozy and comfortable in your environment. A really easy way todo that during the fall is to bring the cozy and simplicity into your home. You don’t have to spend a lot of money or time to bring some fall atmosphere into your home. You can find lots of things at your thrift or dollar store. Look outside for some natural (and free!) things to bring in such as acorns and pinecones. Try switching up your colors colors a little by adding more warm colors like red, orange, yellow, and green. This can be in the form of throw pillows on the sofa, changing the flowers in your vase, and adding little decorative accessories where you think your home needs it. You will not only welcome the change of the season, but decorating always creates a warm and welcoming environment at home.

Add Lots of Blankets and Pillows This is definitely a must for hygge especially in the fall! It’s going to get a bit colder, so you want to stay warm and cozy in your living room. Add soft blankets that you can burrow in while watching a movie or reading a book. Make sure to have throw pillows of different sizes and shapes to create that comfortable environment you are looking for.

Get More Warmth in Your Home. Make sure your home is nice and toasty, but not too hot. If you have indoor heating and air, this will be simple to do. However, for hygge, it is best to get warmth from things that add to the environment, such as with candles burning or a fireplace.

Display Beautiful Books. Since you are looking to relax and live a simplistic life in the fall with hygge, consider reading more, and watching less TV or using the internet every day. Find some good books, in whatever genre you enjoy the most. Lay them around on tables and chairs to encourage you to read them more often. Use Your Fireplace. You probably already know the benefits of using a fireplace, from having more heat without turning on your heater, to having more ambience during the cooler months. Get Softer

Lighting. Hygge is all about comfort and simplifying things, so you don’t want to have bright fluorescent light bulbs turned on throughout the day and night. The easiest option is to turn off most of the lights in the room, then start up your fireplace. This is going to offer enough light to see, without taking away from your relaxing and happy atmosphere. Use

Your Fireplace. Have you ever noticed that when the fireplace is going, people tend to gravitate toward it? It creates a wonderful ambiance in the family room, where everyone wants to gather in the same room to sit quietly and watch a movie, or each do their own thing, while still being together. But even if you don’t have a traditional fireplace, you can always put in an electric one. While you won’t get the same smells and warmth from it, it still provides that atmosphere and ambiance you are going for. hy That is the beauty of having a fireplace.

Experience Fall Outdoors

While a lot of people consider hygge to be something you do indoors, it is not just about being cozy in your home. During the fall, you can also practice hygge by going outside and enjoying seasonal activities with friends and family. The important thing is that you are happy and enjoying life with people you love. Always focus on the positive and continue expressing your gratitude. Some fun fall outdoor activities that will help you practice hygge include:

*Apple picking

*Going to a pumpkin patch

*Staying at a cabin

*Enjoying fall hikes

*Going on bike rides

Bring Nature Indoors. Don’t forget to bring some of that Autumn nature indoors! This can be in the form of seasonal flowers like pansies and chrysanthemums, or with any of your favorite house plants. Even if you live in a warmer climate like we do, there’s always ways to enjoy the season. You just have to be a little more creative about it!

Indulge in Fall Treats

Many women enjoy getting in the kitchen to bake this time of year. We all love the smell of warming spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, making cookies with our kids, and cooking favorite comfort foods. To practice hygge in the fall, don’t underestimate the power of food, family, and being together during this time of year.

Enjoy quiet evenings at home by baking gingerbread cookies with your kids, or inviting friends over for a dinner party with all your favorite comfort foods of the season. You can even keep it healthy by going for more fresh produce of the season, and focusing on fall superfoods.

If you’re on a restricted diet, it’s good to know that there are more grain and gluten free options appearing all the time so that you don’t have to miss out!

Finally remember to make family memories during the fall season if you want to practice real hygge. This is a wonderful season for spending more time with family and friends. From the holidays that take place in the fall, to the various activities you can enjoy, there is a lot you can do!

7 Survival Tips to Reduce Holiday Stress

October 1, 2018 by Marya 5 Comments

The holiday season can be a great opportunity to spend time with family and friends and celebrate. While the holidays can be a joyous time the reality is that for many, holidays are stressful and can cause anxiety. Whether it’s because of finances, family dynamics or other worries, not everyone is excited about the holidays.

The expectations of seeing family, endless social events, gift shopping, and holiday preparation can become too much for even the most dedicated extroverts. All too often, anxiety and depression can become unwelcome holiday guests. Fortunately, there are a number of ways that you can reduce holiday stress and mindfully enjoy the holiday season.

One of the most common reasons that the holidays become stressful is the expectation placed on families who are sometimes overextended emotionally and financially. The added burden to provide big meals, provide gifts, pay for travel and overextend the budget feels like a heavy weight. Families begin to stress out just about the time they are putting away the Halloween decorations.

Despite Hallmark Channel’s fairy-tale insistence that families all love one another and that just being together is what really counts, many families are fractured, busy and unable or unwilling to live in harmony.

Have A Simple Christmas

There’s something to be said about having a simple Christmas. It’s very possible to have a holiday season without the stress and without going all out on decorations, events, and gifts. By scaling back and focusing on the more spiritual side of this holiday, you just might find more joy this season. And as an added bonus, when you keep things simple, you have a lot more time to enjoy everything this special time of the year has to offer.

For my older readers, do you remember what Christmas time was like when you were younger? Chances are you spent the month of December looking at Christmas lights, playing board games, baking cookies and singing Christmas carols. Gifts were probably less expensive but more meaningful and homemade.

So instead of buying more decorations, sort through what you have. Keep what you love and give away the rest. The house will be less cluttered and January clean up will be much easier.

Keep your calendar light too. You don’t have to go to every. single. event. Just pick a few activities and events that you know your family will enjoy. Spend the rest of the time with quiet activities at such as making cookies, crafting and watching holiday movies.

Limit Social Media

The amount of online drama and negativity has dramatically increased with no sign of slowing down. It seems to get worse every week! It can be incredibly draining. Too much time spent scrolling and absorbing other people’s outrage never helped anyone feel any better. Not only that, if the holidays are difficult for you it can increase feelings of despair and isolation. You might want to consider putting strict boundaries on your social media time.

Your time with God has to come first. Spend the first few quiet minutes of every day in quiet devotion and prayer to help center your thoughts. I like to pray the offices to spiritually check in as the day’s stresses begin to accumulate.

Eat Well

The sugar onslaught that begins around Halloween can result in decreased immunity, meaning it’s easier for you to catch everything that’s going around. As much as you can, make healthier and intentional food choices. If/when you choose to indulge, don’t turn it into a binge that lasts into January. Begin eating healthy again at the next meal. And be sure to stay hydrated.

Keep Moving

Set aside some time for movement – whether it’s walking, gentle yoga or just getting outside for a bit, getting your blood circulating is enormously helpful. Any activity or exercise you can fit in will help reduce your stress and elevate your mood. And it will help to keep the extra holiday weight away!

Set A Budget

Admittedly, retail therapy can be great fun but not so much when you have to face the New Year with more credit card debt than you can handle. You can minimize the damage by setting a budget and sticking to it.

Know Your Limits

As a chronic illness patient, I’ve had to come to accept that I can’t do everything that I used to. I don’t bake as much as I once did, try keep the decorations minimal and try to pick just a few holiday events to try to participate in. Set the priorities that work for you and your family and then stick to them.

For some of us, holidays can be really difficult. Not everyone has a supportive extended family close by. If you’re by yourself, look for ways to serve in the community. If you’ve sick, have experienced a recent loss or are experiencing ongoing financial struggles, you might want to step away from the holidays completely. Take a road trip, go to the beach or mountains. Detach in whatever ways make sense to you.

Practice Self Care

Self-care is a conscious choice that we have to make on a daily basis not only now, but throughout the year. Take some time and create a deliberate plan of self care for yourself to make it through the holiday season. Find my winter wellness tips here.

The key to having a stress-less holiday is all about preparation and setting boundaries. Holding to a plan that allows for the fun parts of the season without setting the family up for failure is the best way to ensure that everyone has the best time possible, even if times aren’t perfect.

10 Simple Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

September 25, 2018 by Marya 16 Comments

With the holidays fast approaching, you’re probably concerned about overeating and gaining weight. Beginning with Halloween, there are sweet temptations everywhere. some people can gain as much as 5-8 pounds over the holidays! But the good news is that with some intention and focus you can avoid holiday weight gain.

Eat Something Before You Go

A common trick that many people use when they don’t want to overeat during a special occasion or event is to eat beforehand. This might seem silly since you are headed out to a potluck or holiday meal but the idea isn’t to eat a whole meal at home and then again when you get there.

What you’re trying to do is eat a small meal or snack that is high protein and as healthy as possible, so that not only are you full, but you know you had something good for you. Then when you arrive for that holiday gathering, you’ll only eat a small amount because you are slightly full, your cravings won’t be as bad, and you’ll be less likely to indulge.

Count Plates, Not Calories

Instead of trying to count the calories, grams of fat, or carbohydrates of each food item you choose, just count the number of plates. Give yourself just one plate to enjoy Christmas dinner on, including the dessert. That means only a certain amount of the plate should be filled up with food, leaving an empty portion for the dessert that will come later. The rest of the plate is filled up with anything you want, but you can’t use a separate plate, bowl, or go in for seconds.

Go for the Protein and Veggies First

Whether you’re enjoying appetizers at a buffet table or choosing food at a holiday dinner, try to fill up your plate with the healthier, high protein food options first. Get a portion size of beef, ham or turkey, then make up the rest of the plate with the healthier veggies. If there’s any more room on your plate, you can then add the less healthy options like mashed potatoes or stuffing (if you choose to eat them) but these should only be a very small portion of what you will be eating.

Visualize Where You Want To Be

Visualization is a powerful tool. Close your eyes and picture yourself at your ideal weight, maybe in those skinny jeans you’ve been wanting to wear. How do you look? How does it feel?

Imagine how awesome it will feel to be able to keep up with your kids or climbing a flight of stairs without getting winded. Paint a clear picture in your mind of the new, improved and leaner you. Make it a habit to visualize this slim and healthy version of yourself daily. This will help you to resist the temptations that you’re bound to face.

Find Accountability

Some of us really struggle with bad choices and daily temptation. Just one cookie won’t hurt will it? Or you’re struggling to find motivation to workout. But before you know it, that whole plate of cookies is GONE and you haven’t done any form of exercise for over a week.

Accountability can help you to stay on track. Find a friend who also wants to lose weight and hold each other accountable. If this sounds a little too intimidating or just isn’t your thing, consider keeping a journal.

Just knowing that you’ll have to write down that cookie or ice cream binge may provide enough motivation to choose a healthier option.

While it’s important to push yourself, make sure that your goals are realistic for you. Don’t set an unrealistic goal to lose 30 lbs by New Year’s Day. Start with a smaller goals like making healthy food choices a daily habit. Get some natural movement in as well

Take Rest Breaks

If you have attainable goals and some accountability in place, it’s ok to take a little break from your workout every once in a while. In fact, except for low impact exercise like going for a walk, you don’t want to overdo it, especially if you have health issues or struggle with adrenal fatigue. 3 to 5 days of a solid work out is plenty.

And it’s perfectly okay to have a treat on occasion (unless it sets you up for a downward spiral that will take you months to recover from.) Just make sure you work on getting exercise and eating healthy 90% of the time. Remember, slow, steady progress will yield the best results.

Develop New Habits

Begin to work on creating better and healthier habits. Make going for a daily walk part of your new lifestyle. Make positive food choices a family habit. Not only will it set you up for success now, those healthy habits will also help you keep the weight off long after you’ve reached your goal.

Celebrate Milestones

Losing weight is hard work. Be sure to celebrate small milestone, and don’t forget the non scale victories! Are your pants loser even if the scale didn’t budge? Did you made it out for a 30 minute walk each day this week? Celebrate with a manicure. Did you lose your first 15 pounds? Buy a new shirt or two or some new makeup. Reward yourself for each success and milestone reached.

Easy Does It

When you are trying not to overeat, denying yourself something rarely works. The exception here of course if you’re diabetic or are struggling with chronic illness, pain or an autoimmune condition that demands a special diet.

If you struggling with an eating disorder and know that one little thing will set you off, it’s better to stay away from the first bite than trying to stop it once you’ve started.

Finally, if you honestly feel you have the discipline to do so, when you’re at a party just try a bit of everything. Don’t overload your plate and don’t go back for seconds. And if you can, take a short walk after a big meal.

Stay consistent and keep up with your chosen exercise program and you won’t have the regret of post holiday weight gain.

10 Stunning Bible Journal Instagram Accounts

September 22, 2018 by Marya 5 Comments

I’ve become pretty homebound over the past few months. Wanting to take my mind off my new ulcerative colitis diagnosis and very restricted diet, I really needed to come up with a new outlet for the stress and anxiety I was feeling. Enter Bible journaling. For those unfamiliar with this craft, it’s a visual method of journaling your faith. For me, it provides a way of meditation that I hadn’t experienced before and lets spiritual truths really soak in. Looking for some inspiration, I headed to social media and found these great Bible journaling accounts to follow on Instagram.

There are new accounts to follow all the time! Here’s some hashtags to get you started searching: #biblejournalingcommunity #illustratedfaith #journalingbible #visualfaith #printandpray

Illustrated Faith. Of course I have to start here..it all began with them! I love all their products, they’re pretty without being too cutesy. Their Instagram & YouTube account abound with creative inspiration and process videos.

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A post shared by Illustrated Faith (@illustratedfaith) on Aug 27, 2018 at 12:56pm PDT

KarenScrapsinVA. This is my favorite. I’m nowhere near as talented as she is but I learn so much from her layouts and they seem like they could be doable for me as I get more experienced with this craft.

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TopKnotsandJesus. Fun, pretty pages with elements from Illustrated Faith.

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Messy Bible. Because there’s healing in the mess!

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A post shared by Tonya Hamilton (@messybible) on Sep 15, 2018 at 6:10am PDT

HelloJillsky. She has the new Illustrating Bible (which I can only dream of for right now) and has some really fun layouts with all the glorious room on these pages!

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andiebjork Inspring, fun & doable once you know a few basics.

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A post shared by Andrea Bjork (@andiebjork) on Sep 9, 2018 at 2:18pm PDT

colorfuljulie Really encouraging account for people who struggle with anxiety & depression to follow.

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makewells Artist, hand letterer, instructor & foster mama

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Scribbling Grace Using Bible art to grow God’s Kingdom. Sometimes it’s okay to just write!

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A post shared by Jenna Parde ~ Scribbling Grace (@scribblinggrace) on Jun 12, 2018 at 9:10am PDT

my.creative.worship Another lovely account to follow for mental health & chronic illness friends

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This post contains Amazon and Dayspring Affiliate Links.

What Should You Eat With IBD

September 18, 2018 by Marya 1 Comment

I was recently diagnosed with ulcerative colitis & have often wondered about maintaining proper nutritional levels if my GI system isn’t functioning adequately. Thanks to Health Labs for sponsoring this post about the importance of testing for nutritional deficiencies.

My ulcerative colitis journey started out with a bang earlier this year when I wound up in the emergency room after my colonoscopy. No one has been able to pinpoint exactly why this happened, but the doctors seem to agree that dehydration played a part. I personally believe that the months of gut dysfunction also contributed to nutritional deficiencies that may have played a part in this unfortunate incident.

How People With IBD Can Become Malnourished

IBD patients are vunlerable to becoming malnourished for a number of reasons.

*They frequently struggle with loss of appetite due to nausea or abdominal pain.
*IBD is typically associated with digestive difficulties and malabsorption of important vitamins and minerals.
*IBD may increase the caloric needs of the body during flare ups.

What Should You Eat With IBD?

Opinions abound on this subject. My gastro told me that diet doesn’t matter but my family practioner strongly disagreed. My own research led me to implementing the SCD Diet. Options to consider include a gluten free diet, vegan diet, the Paleo diet, Mediterranean diet, and the Gaps diet.

A good nutritional balance can be achieved with a good balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat. Here’s what should be considered:

*What are your symptoms?
*Are you currently in remission or experiencing a flare?
*Do you have any nutritional deficiencies?

How to Eat During an IBD Flare Up

No matter which nutritional protocol you’ve decided to pursue, there are some basics that every IBD patient should follow.

It’s important to eat smaller meals. The full plate you used to love is now past history. With smaller meals, you may need to eat more frequently. Whenever possible, try to eat in a relaxed atmosphere. Proceed with caution with foods that contain insoluble fiber such as seeds, nuts, beans, raw fruits and vegetables.

Foods to Avoid with IBD

*Whatever your known trigger foods are
*Fatty, fried foods.
*Processed foods
*High fiber foods including raw fruits and vegetables
*Nuts, seeds and beans
*Foods containing lactose
*Gluten

Foods to Choose

*Home cooked chicken broth
*Unsweetened fruit juice
*Bland, soft foods
*Fully cooked potatoes and vegetables
*Small meals
*Vitamin & mineral supplements with doctor’s approval

Avoid Dehydration

After my incident, I realized the importance of adequate hydration, especially living in Florida. While I’ve never been able to keep up with 64 oz of water a day, I do try to have a drink going at all times. Several times a day, I’ll add an electrolyte supplement. I don’t personally drink, but I do still enjoy caffeine and need to be reminded that coffee doesn’t count toward my fluid intake!

The natural way to see if you’re getting enough fluid is simply to check the color of your urine. If it’s too dark, then it’s time to drink up!

Keep a Food Journal

It’s a great idea to keep a food journal to keep track of your symptoms and food reactions. It will help you to identify foods that might trigger your symptoms. And it will help to show you if your diet is nutritionally dense. It will also be helpful to take along on doctor’s visits.

Testing for Vitamin Deficiencies

Even if you’re doing all the right things, you may still have nutritional deficiencies that you aren’t aware of. HealthLabs offers fast, affordable and private vitamin & nutritional testing.

The most popular is the Comprehensive Vitamin Panel, but there are also individual tests as follows:

Vitamin B12 & Folic Acid Test
Folic Acid Test
Carotene (Beta Carotene) Test
Vitamin B1 Test
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) Test
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) Test
Vitamin B5 Test
Vitamin B6 Test
Vitamin B12 Test
Vitamin C Test
Vitamin D 25-Hydroxy (Calcidiol) Blood Levels
Vitamin E Test
Vitamin K1 Test

HealthLabs also offers a wide range of testing for general health, hormone testing, kidney & liver health, military, pregnancy & prenatal, sports and many more.

To get started simply order your test online or by phone, visit a local lab & get your lab results in 1-3 days.

Journaling for Stress Relief

September 12, 2018 by Marya 5 Comments

Journaling is a great way to reduce stress and anxiety. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you might be feeling worried or even scared at some point in your day or week. Those feelings can get overwhelming! Journaling can be a lifesaver to anyone who is struggling with stress. Here’s how to get started with journaling.

Journal Writing for Stress Relief

One of the key benefits of journaling during times is that getting your thoughts out helps you to process and deal with them. If you struggle with anxiety, you know it usually starts off with racing thoughts and fears of some kind. This is because anxiety is generally something that is triggered by an outside source and that triggering is hardcore and fast.

Writing down your thoughts as they come to you can help you slow your mind down and get rid of the mental clutter while your nervous system comes down. It also helps to bring you back into the moment.

Don’t know where to start? Here’s three simple journaling prompts:

Write about what you did today.
Write about what’s making you anxious.
Write about what decisions you need to make.

Writing About Emotions

When you journal during an times of stress and anxiety, you’re actually removing those negative thoughts from your mind. Yes, you are voicing them, but you would otherwise be doing that internally. By writing your emotions and thoughts down, you’re removing them from an internal space to a concrete, open space. Having it out on paper can help you sort out the issues and keep them from bottling up in you.

Like my other stress busting suggestions, journaling is something you can try out with what you have on hand then if it works for you, then start incorporating into your daily habits.

How to Start Journaling for Therapy

It doesn’t matter if you go 20th century with a notebook and a pen, use a Word document on your computer, or even start your own blog. Just go with whatever medium works best for you right now. The only difference is the tools and mediums you use to collect and organize your thoughts.

Don’t make yourself crazy getting started. Journaling is simply about getting your thoughts on paper and in the process you’ll be able to work through your thoughts. Not only does journaling help you work through anything that’s happened during your busy day, it’s also very therapeutic and can help to reduce stress. And later on, it’s fun to go back through your journal later and see how far you’ve come.

Tips for Keeping a Journal

There many ways to journal. What style and medium you choose is entirely up to you. There’s no wrong way to do this. If you find it easier to be at a computer, then go for it.

What you’ll want to do is to find the journaling method that you most enjoy and feel that you can stick with for. It’s during those longer stretches of time when you’re journaling regularly that you’ll see and experience the full benefits of journaling when it comes to helping you relax and reduce stress.

Here’s a few ideas to started. Grab any old notebook you have laying around and a pen and start writing down one or two sentences about your day.

If you feel more motivated by a cute journal and a fun gel pen, go out and get them, by all means. If you find typing easier than handwriting, start on your computer. Or start a blog.

You can even use Instagram as a micro blogging platform and start with a picture followed by a few sentences about your day.

Online journaling options can always be can set to private so you don’t have to worry about just anyone online being able to read your posts if you don’t want to go public with it.

Figure Out Your Best Time for Journaling

You should figure out what time works best for you to make sure you journal regularly. Some people might prefer to do it first thing in the morning, others at night before bed. Anything in between works just as well. There’s no right or wrong time to journal.

But that being said while you’re getting in the habit of journaling, it’s a good idea to stick to the same time each day until it’s an integral part of your daily routine. After that you can be a little more flexible.

How much or how little you write is also up to you. Start with short entries, or even give bullet journaling a try. You don’t want to set the bar so high in the beginning that the thought of having to sit down and write a 500 journal entry each day stresses you out.

Keep in mind, journaling is supposed to help you relax and reduce stress, not create more!

Do you keep a journal? How do you stay with it?

Holiday Gift Guide for Moms With Chronic Illness

September 8, 2018 by Marya 9 Comments

If you’re wondering what you should put on your holiday gift list, my Holiday Gift Guide for Moms with Chronic Illness suggestions are little luxuries that I’ve found over time that help me to cope with being home, struggling with isolation and in pain much of the time.

Holidays are never been easy for moms with chronic illness. They’re exhausting to even think about. As a mom with chronic illness, I often struggle with comparing myself with other moms who are able to keep up the frenzied pace of parenting, appointments and activities as the holiday season gets under way.

Faith Based Gifts for Moms

Dayspring has cute & inexpensive faith based gift items including jewelry, journals, bibles, coffee mugs, and t-shirts.

Beyond Suffering Bible – Being homebound can get depressing, to say the least. The most important thing I can do every day is to check in with God and align my thoughts so that negative thinking doesn’t get out of hand. This Bible is from one of my disability heroes, Joni Earickson Tada and has much to encourage those who struggling with chronic pain and disability.

Streams in The Desert devotional – I’ve had this for years and never get tired of it. It’s fantastic encouragement for those who are going through trials and hard times.

The Illustrating Bible – Newly released from DaySpring, the Illustrating Bible offers thick pages & ultra wide margins for those who love the craft of Bible journaling. It’s pretty pricey, so I’d only recommend it if you LOVE journaling and creativity indoor bible.

Gifts for Journal Lovers

Colors of Hope – I get a little overwhelmed with typical adult coloring books but I really enjoy this series of coloring books. It’s cheerful and easy to color in. I’ve also been loving Joy for the Journey.

Leuchtturm 1917 Notebooks – the standard in the bullet journaling world for their lovely, thick paper and quality binding. Customize to your heart’s content!

Tombow brush letter pens are the ultimate gift for journaling enthusiasts.

Struggle with drawing? Stainless steel stencils will add function & beauty to your journal pages without the mess.

Gifts for Moms With Chronic Illness

Heating Pad – Even though I’m over 50 and live in a subtropical climate, I’m always freezing because of the air conditioning everywhere and tile floors. I use it for relief of the frequent muscle spasms I live with because of dystonia and the ongoing pelvic pain from ongoing gyn problems. I’m beginning to think about a heated blanket too. Don’t tell my husband!

Spa products. Nothing helps to reduce stress for me like spa products. Take a look at these bath bombs and bath salts!

Fuzzy socks are a huge go-to comfort item for me (even in summer.) I can’t relax if my feet aren’t covered!

Yoga pants – I live in these, no apologies.

Ipad – It’s a splurge, I know. But it’s been my sanity saver since my diagnosis in 2010 and couldn’t sit at a computer for a year. I use it for social media, checking email and the Kindle app for reading, shopping, exercising and just about everything! And yes, mine is rose gold…it makes me happy!

Headphones – I enjoy listening to music and podcasts when I’m too tired to read or watch anything. A nice set is a huge treat!

Kindle Paperwhite – I got one this year even though I already had an iPad. I like to use it when I’m sitting around doctor’s offices with spotty wifi and at the beach when the glare is too strong to use a tablet.

Do you have any great suggestions to add to this gift guide for moms with chronic illness? I’d love to hear them!

This blog uses affiliate links. They do not affect the cost of the product for you, but I receive a small commission for recommending them. I only recommend products that I feel comfortable with and believe would benefit my readers.

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All About My Wellness Journey

September 4, 2018 by Marya 8 Comments

My wellness journey really began back in 1986 when I made the decision to start living alcohol free. There were lots of things that lead up to this decision, but one that I remember the most was a simple picture. (which I don’t have anymore!)

I looked like a boozer. My face had the flushed look of a young woman who spent too much time at the clubs.

It wasn’t pretty.

Taking that first shaky step was the most important thing I ever did for myself. As it turned out, it was the last one I ever had to do alone. Anything that’s positive in my life today is because of that decision I made 32 years ago.

My recovery journey has taken lots of twists and turns. I had a lot of inner crap to wade through. But I’ve learned a whole lot about balancing mind, body and spirit along the way. Managing the stresses of special needs parenting while wrestling with my inner demons took a toll on me and years ago I began to suspect I had autoimmune problems.

Cervical Dystonia

In 2010, I was diagnosed with cervical dystonia, a neurological movement disorder similar to Parkinson’s disease. I was in devastating chronic pain and desperate for help.

That’s when I found yoga. I could only start with basic chair yoga but little by little, I began to inch my way back.

Over time I regained my mobility and some normalcy but it was always a thorn in my side. I felt like I was on the sidelines and unable to function like the rest of the moms around me.

Ulcerative Colitis

Just because you have one chronic condition doesn’t make you exempt from getting anything else. Last December I started noticing some abdominal pain when I was doing yoga. My initial gut reaction (see what I did there!) was that something was very wrong.

Still, it took me a while to get to the gastro and finally to the fateful colonoscopy that confirmed a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis in April of 2018.

This is some scary stuff. I have pancolitis, the form of ulcerative colitis which affects the ENTIRE large intestine. Which explains the pain I was getting under my ribs..and here I was worrying about liver problems.

My Wellness Journey

As a special needs mom, I had some familiarity with the GAPS diet and was able to source a few things right away. Seeing pictures of fellow Crohn’s & Colitis sufferers in the hospital made me scared to try to do this holistically, so I reluctantly took the two week course of prednisone and then began the course of meds and hoped for the best.

Despite my continuing on GAPS, some of my symptoms got a little more distressing.

Like incontinence. Sorry, I’m too young for this.

This last weekend after crapping my pants for about the 20th time, I decided to go off the meds. (Be assured that I have a gastro and a primary doctor that I won’t hesitate to use if things worsen!)

Am I scared? Yes. But I know via anecdotal evidence that many Crohn’s & Colitis patients were able to do this holistically and get rid of most, if not all, the meds. Nutrition, stress relief and cannabis can go a long way.

Doing My Research

I’m not against traditional doctors at all. You need the diagnosis, the tests and at times, the meds, the antibiotics, the traditional treatments and the surgeries.

But many times they just send you off with a bunch of expensive prescriptions with frightening side effects with no real answers.

I’ve learned to network with others and find out what works for them. I follow what some might consider sketchy alternative health social media pages.

In this day and age, you have to become your own advocate.

The learning is never going to stop.

Moving along..yes, I’m a little scared. But if things begin to escalate I know I can get into my doctor’s office right away. But so far I’m slowly feeling better OFF the meds than I was ON them.

And I did check the formulary for what the next meds to be considered are. They cost from hundred to over a thousand dollars.

That’s motivation enough for me!

Disclaimer: As always, I like to remind my readers that I’m not a health care professional, just a graduate of the School of Hard Knocks. I’m only sharing my journey. Always consult with a trusted health care professional before making any life changes.

This blog post contains affiliate links.

How to Stay Healthy This Winter

August 31, 2018 by Marya 8 Comments

How to Stay Healthy This Winter

For many people, winter might mean several months of misery, depression and weight gain if they live in a climate that experiences severe cold weather. It can be very tempting to go into hibernation mode until the spring thaw comes. If you’re typically sick for several months out of the winter, read on for tips on how to stay healthy this winter.

Keep Up With Your Exercise

Exercise boosts energy levels and mood. It also helps you burn calories, which is very useful if you tend to gain weight around the end of year holidays in the Northern Hemisphere. If you live in a part of the country with access to winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, and ice skating, do take advantage of this great opportunity and get your workout in outside.

But even if you don’t have access to winter sports, you can still stay active even when the weather’s bad. It’s as easy as popping in a DVD or finding something on YouTube. Remember that becoming inactive during winter can be one of the worst things you can do for your health.

Nobody really likes the short days and long nights of winter, but spending time outside during each winter’s day offers several key health benefits.

Get Some Fresh Air

Being cooped up indoors leaves you more prone to colds and flu, since you will be surrounded by other people coughing and sneezing (and everything they touch!)

Don’t Forget Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a hormone our body produces as a result of exposure to the sun. If you live further north, it’s important to take supplements since it can be hard to get the 30 minutes of sunshine that’s necessary for adequate D. But if you live in a warmer client, do get outside when you can!

Light Therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder

Winter can cause many to struggle with depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder, (known as SAD) which affects millions of people around the world. It’s caused by the lack of daylight during the short winter days, especially when there is bad weather.

SAD can trigger depression, illness and weight gain. Colds and flu can make people (and their immune systems) even more depressed. Getting out in the sun is the best way to combat SAD and live life to the fullest each winter.

Eating Issues

Unfortunately many people pack on the pounds in the winter. They crave hot “comfort foods” to warm up on a cold day. The holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas in western countries can be a diet disaster. Eating more and working out less, if at all, because of the cold weather, is a recipe for weight gain and getting out of shape. By the time spring rolls around, you’ll be dreading taking off your winter coat. Not only that, but sugar consumption tends to suppress the immune system.

Skin and Hair Issues in Winter

Winter weather is a lot colder and drier than summer weather, which means it takes its toll on your skin. Your hair might start to look dry and brittle and break easily. Your skin might become chapped, red and flaky. If you already have dry skin, winter can make it even worse. If you’re guilty of just using whatever you have in the shower, it’s time to become more intentional about self care. Your skin will love you for it!

Dressing for Safety in Winter

Last, but not least, you need to dress for safety in winter. Cold and hypothermia kill. A hat, scarf, gloves and proper footwear to match the weather conditions are all essential. Always be prepared for the possibility that your car may get stuck or experience delays on public transit, and dress accordingly.

One of the most confusing things about becoming sick with an upper respiratory illness such as a cold or the flu is that they begin in a similar manner. However, each requires a different treatment in order to limit the illness and get over it as quickly as possible.

Is It A Cold or the Flu?

Colds

is caused by becoming infected with a rhinovirus. Like many viruses, it mutates. There are hundreds of strains of the common cold virus and any cold virus can be around at any time. Not only that, ew strains can form all the time, making it difficult to build up immunity to them. Viruses have no cure, but you can treat the symptoms as best you can to make you or your loved ones more comfortable if they come down with a cold. Typical symptoms of a cold include:

• Congestion (head and/or chest) • Runny nose (stuffiness from swollen sinuses) • Watery eyes • Coughing-it can be a dry cough, or one that is productive, that is, produces phlegm in order to get congestion out of your body) • Headache • Tiredness • Itchy nose, eyes and throat • Fever (more common in children) • Sore throat

The Flu

The flu is caused by becoming infected with one of the strains of the influenza virus. The flu generally comes on more quickly than a cold. The symptoms may seem to hit all at once, and will usually be more severe than when you catch a cold. The typical symptoms of flu include:

• Runny or stuffy nose • Cough • Sore throat • Headaches and/or body aches • Fever or feeling feverish (not everyone with the flu has a fever) • Chills • Fatigue, lack of energy • Nausea, vomiting • Diarrhea (most common in children)

While the first four symptoms are common to both flu and colds, they are likely to be more intense when you have the flu. You may find it almost impossible to function. Flu symptoms are strong right from the onset, and they usually run their course in about a week. Colds usually only last a few days.

How To Relive Cold and Flu Symptoms

Since colds and flu are both viruses, antibiotics will have no effect. An over the counter cold remedy will help dry up the nasal congestion but try to avoid products with a lot of alcohol or caffeine in them.

Look for a product which does all that you need in one pill or bottle. You’ll save money, and also be able to avoid accidental overdose. For example, acetaminophen (Tylenol®) is a common component in an array of cold remedies but taking too much can lead to liver damage.

You can also use inhalants such as Vicks® VapoRub®, and Olbas oil if you want to use a natural remedy. Afrin nasal spray can also help a great deal and lasts for 12 hours.

Natural Relief for Cold and Flu Symptoms

My go-to natural remedies when I’m feeling under the weather include elderberry syrup, essential oils, immune boosting tea and homemade chicken soup.

Cold and Flu Prevention

The best way to prevent or reduce colds and flu is good old fashioned common sense.

Wash your hands often and not share personal items like cutlery, towels and so on.
Avoid contact with those who are ill.
Stay at home when you are sick.
If you must go out, carry a hand spray with you.
Keep the communal areas of your house clean, such as kitchens and bathrooms.

Taking these precautions may keep you from getting sick at all or can highly minimize your chances so you can have an enjoyable winter season.

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How to Reduce Sugar Cravings In Just a Week

August 28, 2018 by Marya 8 Comments

Reduce sugar cravings in a week? Seriously? Sugar addiction is a real struggle for many of us. It tastes great, causes a temporary high and helps to numb emotional pain. It’s been said that sugar cravings are actually a form of chemical dependency. For me, it’s been an ongoing problem since childhood.

I began by following Trim Healthy Mama for awhile at the end of 2016. I did really well for about six months and lost 20 lbs. Then I feel victim to the “just a little won’t hurt” mentality and I got sucked back into the destructive cycle. For someone like me, one treat is too many and a thousand not enough.

I was able to get back to it and wound up losing about 40 pounds until my ulcerative colitis diagnosis earlier this year. Since I couldn’t do many aspects of Trim Healthy Mama any more, I decided to switch gears and began doing the Gaps diet, a very strict protocol for people with digestive and mental health issues. But when I got a little better, I started eating Gaps friendly treats in excess and I knew I had to do something.

So now I’m doing Ketogenic Gaps. I have to track every. single. thing and this seems to be working for me (so far). I’ve read a lot about mindful eating and while it’s certainly part of the process, I seem to need the accountability of tracking. And my sugar and carb cravings are diminishing.

How Long Does It Take to Stop Craving Sugar?

I don’t have a pretty answer for this. For me, I had to go cold turkey, ride it out and within a couple of weeks I was feeling better.

Whether you go cold turkey or do it gradually, believe that you can do this. You are going to feel so much better when you’ve gotten the sugar out of your system and are eating clean, whole foods. You’ll lose weight and your skin will look amazing.

Here’s a simple 7 day plan to reduce sugar cravings within a week.

Day One: Create a Plan

You’ll probably want to spent a few ~~days~~ weeks beforehand researching food plans. I loved Trim Healthy Mama when I was able to do it. I got to enjoy enjoy foods like oatmeal, lentils, low carb wraps and desserts that kept me from craving the sugar. Though honestly, I did become a little too dependent on sugar alcohols.

Nowadays I’m doing Keto. This isn’t because I’m trying to be trendy. I’m doing what I can to (hopefully) keep myself from some of the more serious aspects of ulcerative colitis.

Day Two: Get All the Junk Food Out of the House

Remove all forms of sugar and processed foods from the house. Added sugars are lurking in many prepared food products. Start getting into the habit of reading labels and avoiding things like low fat salad dressing and ketchup because those things have a loads sugar. Words like glucose, fructose, and high fructose corn syrup – pretty much anything ending in -ose will alert you to added sugar sources. Cook what you can from scratch to have control over what goes into your food. Follow this advice and youíll be free of that sugar habit in less than a week.

(Note..if you have uncooperative family members, try moving the treats to an out of the way spot or ask your spouse to hide them. Ask me how I know!)

Day Three: Begin to Increase Protein at Every Meal

Instead of grabbing a bowl of sugary cereal, breakfast bars or donuts, choose a high protein option. My go to these days is 3-4 oz of protein, a fermented veggie or small salad and a cup of bone broth.

Day Four: Eat Every Three Hours

Plunging blood sugar can easily lead to a cheat or even an all out food binge that you’ll feel awful about afterwards. If you’re out and about, this will take some planning. Carry snacks like fruit, almonds or approved yogurt with you.

Get to know a few local places where you can get a low carb meal option. Bunless burgers have become more available at places like Hardees and Red Robin, and you can get grilled chicken tenders or chicken salad at Chick-Fil-A. You can also find low carb friendly offerings at Chipotle.

Day Five: Watch for Emotional Triggers

Learn to expect the unexpected and roll with them as they come. Practice mindful living and you’ll be better prepared to handle life’s stresses in a positive way instead of stuffing your aggravation.

Day Six: Find Healthy Replacements For Your Favorite Treats

I totally enjoyed the Trim Healthy Mama dessert options but with sweets severely curtailed for now, I’ve come to enjoy fat bombs. If you don’t have this restriction, find a few things you enjoy. If you’re craving chocolate, grab a bar of 85% dark chocolate or a Lily’s bar and allow yourself one or two squares a day. Moderation is key with these healthy sweet treats.

Day 7: Treat Yourself and Keep on Trucking!

You’ve made it this far and the worst of the cravings have probably subsided. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Always have a plan for your day. Take it one day at a time and you’ll continue to feel better as well as watching the pounds and inches drop off.

And if you goof up? Kick the dirt off your shoes and keep walking. The folks at Trim Healthy Mama encourage us that our next healthy meal is only three hours away!

Start Your Keto Transformation

If you’re a busy mom or have limited energy, I highly recommend the 5 Week Keto Starting Plan from Health Home and Happiness. Though I’ve known about the Keto diet for quite awhile, I was put off by the complexity of it and living with chronic illness myself, didn’t want to have to worry about two sets of meals for my family.

In her upcoming 5 week workshop, you’ll you will learn how to start keto quickly, how to enter ketosis within 24 hours if you wish, essentials about electrolytes to prevent the keto flu and muscle cramps, and how to know if keto is right for you!

A few weeks in and the recipes from Starting Plan are family approved (even The Cuban!) I’m not cured or in remission, but I do feel better with improved energy. (I’m actually updating this post at 8:00 pm. Usually I’m in bed by now!) And best of all, I’m feeling more confident that I can do this for the long haul.

<<Learn more here>>

(this post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated to reflect the change in my health situation!)