Blog | Be Healthy, Be Happy Wellness

Exercise with your kids – for FREE!

May 17, 2013 By Pam Leave a Comment

Tuesday I gave you the challenge to exercise with your kids this week.

How did you do? If you haven’t gotten it in yet, no worries, you still have the weekend.

I’ve already shared a few reasons why you should try to do this everyweek, but not only are there benefits for you, there are benefits for your kids as well. Childhood obesity is out of control these days (has been increasing in the last 20 years), and let’s face it, parents have some responsibility. By teaching your children to eat well and exercise, you’ll help them maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle their entire lives. Spending time together exercising also strengthens your relationships – and several recent studies have shown that kids with close relationships to their parents tend to do better in school, have fewer social issues and are just overall more successful.

So join them in exercising – you’ll have fun together AND be modeling healthy practices. Here are some more fun ways for you to exercise together.

1. Dance. What kid doesn’t love to dance? This is so easy, just put on some music and start to move! I guarantee you’ll be laughing by the end of the session and having a blast!

2. Take a nature hike. Walks are great, but why not bump it up a notch and go for a little hike. Even a small child can go for a short nature walk. If you think your kid(s) will get bored, give them a list of things to look for – they’ll be so busy running around checking off their list they won’t even notice how much exercise you’ve gotten. Not sure where to go? Here is a cool website with a list of potential hiking areas: LocalHikes

3. Play a game. Got a neighboorhood full of kids? Why not round them up and play a game of kickball or soccer? Even if you can’t get any other parents to join in, no reason why you can’t play – my kids get a kick out of having me join them in their games.

4. Yoga. My kids have joined me in yoga since they were little. Granted the first few years was more them climbing on me, but we are finally at the point where they enjoy doing some of the poses themselves. I think for them it’s still more of a competition (“look how well I do THIS mom!”), but that’s okay, the benefits are still there and we are having fun together.

How are your mornings? Crazy? Or calm? Get your FREE copy of my new e-course “Discover the Perfect Start to Your Day,” and start creating a wonderful start to each new day.

Shared on Friendship Friday!

Filed Under: Exercise, Frugal Fridays, Relationships

Natural Allergy Solutions

May 16, 2013 By Pam Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago I shared my experience with using Lavender essential oils to help with allergy symptoms. Today, I thought I’d share a few other natural things that might help allergy sufferers:

Vitamin C – Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine, so consider adding an extra Vitamin C supplement during the time of year seasonal allergies hit.
Onions and/or garlic – Both of these plants help clean out the blood and kill toxins. Enjoy a couple extra servings each week to help strengthen your immune system.
Peppermint. Peppermint essential oil is another terrific oil to use during allergy season. Add a drop to your tea or even place a drop on your tongue and inhale through your nose (assuming it’s a brand that is safe to ingest) – it will clear out those sinuses! Peppermint oil is also helpful with sinus headaches. Place a few drops on the back of your neck and near your sinuses (keep away from the eyes though).
Steam. Boil a few cups of water, and then pour into a bowl. To make it even more enjoyable, add 2 to 3 drops Eucalyptus essential oil. Lean your head over the bowl and cover your head and neck with a towel to make a “tent.” Inhale the steam for 5 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to burn yourself! When you are finished and the water has cooled a bit, dip a washcloth in the warm water, wring it out and press it against your sinuses.
Wasabi or horseradish. Wasabi and horseradish contain allyl isothiocyanate which promotes mucus flow. If you’ve ever gotten a huge chunk of wasabi in your sushi, you know exactly what I mean! So enjoy some wasabi or horseradish on your sandwich, sushi or in your cocktail sauce!

Interested in more allergy info and tips? Check out my friend Tammy Mutter’s post today HERE, she shares some more great tips and some excellent information on allergies.

Please note that I am not a doctor – these are just things that have helped my family. Also, when I mention essential oils, the only one I am comfortable vouching for (and ingesting) is Young Living. I’m sure there are other brands out there that are excellent, I just haven’t used or researched them myself.

If you are interested in learning more about essential oils, check out my Oil of the Month Club – it’s a great way to ease into the wonderful world of essential oils with education and by experimenting with just one oil at a time – not nearly as overwhelming as trying to figure it all out at once! Plus, you’ll have a terrific support group to help you along the way.

photo by: See-ming Lee 李思明 SML

Filed Under: Essential oils, healthy tips

Kale Pesto – AMAZING!

May 15, 2013 By Pam 2 Comments

Our kale has taken off! It is growing like crazy – I think the cooler nights have really helped it. Needless to say, I’m making green smoothies and kale chips like crazy, but needed another option.

Enter Kale Pesto. Oh. My. Goodness. It is delicious!

Kale Pesto

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 big handfuls of kale (just the leaves, tear them off the stem)

1/3 cup parmesan reggiano

drizzle of olive oil

few shakes of crushed red pepper

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Step one: In your food processor, add garlic, kale and cheese. Drizzle in a bit of olive oil – I added maybe a tablespoon.

Step two: Process and then season to taste.

Step three: Serve with pasta (mix it well), preferrably with a glass of crisp white wine to drink. Yum!

This pesto keeps very well in the fridge or freezer, so make up a big batch and save half for lunches or another dinner.

Mid-May already! Get ready for our next oil of the month – Valor, and order your bottle now. We’ll be back to learning multiple ways of using the oil and encorporating it into your daily life – should be pretty fun, valor is a very interesting blend that contains spruce, blue tansy and frankincense. It promotes feelings of strength, courage and protection.

Shared on Tasty Traditions, The Mommy Club, Real Food Wednesdays and Works for Me Wednesday

Filed Under: healthy tips, recipes

Tuesday Challenge – Exercise with your kids!

May 14, 2013 By Pam Leave a Comment

Welcome to another Tuesday Challenge! We are back with exercise again this week, but it’s a FUN one.

This week’s challenge is to exercise with your kids!

Why?

Well, several good reasons. First, it’s fun and second, it’s a great way to get some exercise in for the day and spend time with your kids at the same time. Don’t have kids? How about a spouse or a good friend?

How?

Your possibilities are wide open. Formal exercise is fine, but I’d recommend something that is more like play – your kids will LOVE having you play with them, and you’ll be having so much fun, you’ll forget you are exercising.

Some ideas: kickball, wiffleball, tennis, bike rides, kicking the soccer ball around, playing on the playground, hula hooping, etc. Just be active and have fun!

My recommendation is to substitute one of your normal weekly workouts for a “fun” session – it’s a great break in the traditional workout routine and you’ll move your body in different ways which is so great for heart and muscle conditioning.

So what are you going to do this week? Share in the comments please. I kicked the soccer ball around with my son last night during my daughter’s soccer practice, and we’ll probably get the bikes out later this week and ride to the park.

If you haven’t gotten your free copy of “Green” your life in 3 easy steps, what are you waiting for? It’s only available for a few more days, so get yours HERE.

Filed Under: Exercise, Tuesday Challenge

Another video – Make Easy Household Cleaners in seconds!

May 10, 2013 By Pam 1 Comment

Sorry it’s a little shaky – we need a camera person! Anyone?

Pretty cool product isn’t it? As promised, here is a link to purchase your own bottle of Organic Basic H2 so you can replace your cleaning products!

As we mentioned in the video, one bottle makes a TON of product. In fact, here are the conversions – it’s pretty darn amazing, and you SAW how little time it took to make a bottle:

If you just made All purpose cleaner, ONE bottle of Basic H2 would give you 214 bottles (28 oz)!

You’d make over 5,704 bottles (28 oz again) of window cleaner, or 36 bottles (28 oz) of degreaser.

Quite a bargin if you ask me!

Thanks Tammy for joining me – and don’t forget to check out her site and her Facebook page, so you can get your own bottle, and learn more about all the Shaklee products!

Filed Under: Frugal Fridays, healthy tips, natural cleaners Tagged With: healthy tips, recipes

Mother’s Day Gift Baskets

May 9, 2013 By Pam 2 Comments

Hope you haven’t forgotten that Sunday is Mother’s Day! I’ve got a few fun ideas to share that would make fantastic, healthy gifts for that Mom in your life (or sister, grandma, friend – or even teacher!).

Healthy Treats Basket (includes pedicure supplies, dark chocolate, homemade lavender bath salts, essential oils, a mini photo album and some other treats!)

For the e-reader in your life (A pretty e-reader cover and a coordinating makeup bag with some oil samples and instructions on how to use them). If you don’t have lots of oils to share (like I do), you could just include one bottle of lavender, lemon or peppermint with some ideas for using or even a pretty lip gloss and nail polish.

Mom on the go! A pretty glass or stainless steel water bottle and a bottle of lemon oil.

Breakfast Treat! A little plate of healthy muffins and a travel mug full of her favorite coffee or tea. Even add a good book to read or an Amazon gift card!

And finally, how about a “membership” to the Oil of the Month club – you could do it for 3 months, 6 months or the whole year! Drop me a note and I’ll be happy to help you come up with a great way to present it (and if you commit to the rest of the year, I’ll even throw in samples of the oils you’ve missed for FREE!).

What are your ideas? I’d love to hear some of them, so please share in the comments.

Shared on The Mommy Club, Works for Me Wednesday

Filed Under: Essential oils, healthy tips, Relationships Tagged With: essential oils, goal setting, Holidays, relationships

A Perfect Spring Dinner – Salmon with Asparagus and Goat Cheese

May 8, 2013 By Pam Leave a Comment

Our asparagus is still going strong, and along with enjoying it almost nightly roasted, I’ve come up with a few other ways to indulge.

A new favorite is a simple, elegant and healthy dinner I created last week. It was inspired by a picture a friend of mine took of a prepared salmon at the grocery – thanks Annette!

Salmon with Asparagus and Goat Cheese

1 to 2 pounds wild caught salmon

10 to 12 spears asparagus

2 to 4 ounces goat cheese

olive oil

sea salt

cracked pepper

1. Place skinned salmon on a piece of aluminum foil. Lay asparagus spears on top and sprinkle with goat cheese. (You may want to press the ingredients down into the salmon a bit to help them stay put).

2. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt and pepper on top.

3. Grill in aluminum foil until salmon is cooked through (but not overcooked) – time depends upon the size of your fish, so check it frequently.

And that’s it! Really simple, took about 5 minutes to prepare and looked lovely when served. My kids weren’t fans of the goat cheese, so I cooked a piece of plain salmon for them and they ate it with some extra roasted asparagus on the side. Add a glass of wine and some steamed brown rice and you have a terrific meal for entertaining.

Need some help planning dinner? Check out my Menu Planning Made Easy e-course. For less than $20 you can become a dinnertime diva! Also, don’t forget to get your copy of “Green” your life in 3 easy steps – it’s going to be replaced soon, so get it while you can!

Shared on Tasty Traditions, Works for Me Wednesday and Real Food Wednesday

Filed Under: healthy tips, recipes Tagged With: nutrition, recipes, veggies

Tuesday Challenge – Let’s Get that Kitchen Organized!

May 7, 2013 By Pam Leave a Comment

Time for a Tuesday Challenge!

This week we are going to work on getting our kitchen a little more organized.

Why?

Pretty simple really. An organized kitchen makes it easier to prepare healthy food at home. That means you’ll eat out less, consume fewer calories and hopefully eat healthier food.

How?

My suggestion is to organize your kitchen so it fits YOUR life. Here are a few examples from my kitchen to get you started:

1. Drink Station. I did a post a while back on this one. Having this in place makes it easy for me to make a cup of tea or hot water with lemon anytime during the day, and having the water bottles handy ensures we grab one to go instead of buying a soda while we are out an about.

2. Daily cooking. Right next to the oven, I keep a cute little container with the seasonings I use daily (sea salt, cracked pepper and fresh garlic), olive oil is on the other side of the stove.

3. Organized pantry. I have my pantry organized by use – so baking things are on one shelf; beans, lentils and pasta on another; snacks and crackers together; etc. That way when I am fixing dinner or making muffins for breakfast, I can pull everything I need out quickly.

No Junk Here!

Hopefully those ideas will get you started. Just think about what you use frequently, and make that easily accessible, and then group like items together. Don’t freak out and try to do this all at once. Pick one area (or shelf) a day and just do finish that one. By the end of the week, you’ll have a great start to an organized kitchen!

Are you enjoying your Slique Essence oil? I’ve found that drinking a glass of it after dinner helps curb my nighttime snacking habit. I ordered some of the tea and gum, so I’m looking forward to trying that out. Haven’t ordered yours yet? It’s not too late to join us – check out the details HERE!

Shared on Mums Make Lists

Filed Under: Organization, Tuesday Challenge, Uncategorized

Eating for Energy – Guest Post

May 6, 2013 By Pam Leave a Comment

Good morning! I’m over at The Encouraging Home sharing today about eating for energy – something I’m sure we can all use more of, right?

Feel free to check out the whole post HERE.

Be Healthy. Be Happy.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

It’s HERE – the May Slique Weight Loss Challenge!

May 3, 2013 By Pam Leave a Comment

Welcome to those of you joining us! For those that didn’t sign up, no worries, you can still order your oil, get it in a few days and jump right in!

Most of the info will come to you on the challenge members only Facebook page, but I wanted to share a few tips:

1. You still have to eat a healthy diet – you can’t just use the Slique products and then eat a bunch of junk – it just won’t work! Try to enjoy at least five fruits and/or veggies each day and plenty of water.

2. Try to move everyday – doesn’t have to be formal “exercise,” but a 30 minute walk, dancing with your kids, even some heavy-duty spring cleaning will count.

3. Don’t compare yourself to others – you’ll probably see some BIG weight losses on the Facebook page – and that is GREAT if it’s you, but if it’s not, remember that we all have different bodies and everyone loses weight differently. Congratulate each other, and share the tips that work!

4. Want some extra support? The Get Summer Ready program has already started, but I do offer one on one support. That’s truly the best way to get individualized support and create goals that are perfect and attainable JUST FOR YOU. Check out the details here.

5. If you are just using the oil, there are several ways to enjoy it – in your water (a couple drops), inhale it, or mix a drop or two with coconut oil and rub on your skin.

Interested in Essential Oils, but not the Slique challenge? No worries – we are delving DEEP into an oil each month, and Slique is just the oil for May. Next month we’ll cover Valor – a great oil for encouraging strength, energy and connection. If you want to join us, check out the details HERE. Join as a distributor or customer with the Start Living with Everyday Oils and I’ll send you samples of any oils that don’t come in your kit along with plenty of ways to use the oils we’ve studied so far this year! You’ll have all of May to catch up and since Valor comes in your kit, you’ll be ready for June!

Filed Under: Essential oils, healthy tips Tagged With: essential oils, healthy tips

Be Healthy, Be Happy Wellness