I have made the decision to move my blog to
nancyoglesbywellness.medium.com. I would live for y’all to follow me over there, and consider creating content there as well.
Read all you can about writing on Medium and the many ways you can get paid. It will inspire you to develop content and shine your light around the world!
Hope to see you there!
Good health is more than what you eat, drink, and how you move, so we’re going back into that self-care arena to explore a few quick and easy ways to perk you up in the middle of the day … ways that don’t involve monster drinks and caffeine. 😉
Even if you can’t get outside for a walk, you can step outside and take a few deep breaths. Maybe take ten minutes to look for flowers … and, if you can’t find any, run to the store, spend a couple of dollars and plant some yourself. No yard? No problem! Get a pretty pot and plant it on your balcony or that sunny spot in your office or apartment!
Did you know that sellers on Amazon have plants for sale? Yep! I love this Money Tree! What a great addition to your space AND your abundance! Or this 3-pack in gorgeous pots! Add some oxygen to your life!
You can’t always get outside when the weather isn’t cooperating, so here’s another quick perk-me-up: Wash your face! Soak a luxurious cloth in super-hot water, you can even add a drop of your favorite essential oil … I LOVE eucalyptus! Once the cloth is hot, wring it out, fold in half and place over your eyes. Leave it there until it cools off a bit, then repeat a couple of times. When you’re ready, scrub your entire face with the warm cloth, then rinse with ice cold water … You will definitely feel refreshed!
By midday you’ve probably already applied your makeup for the day, but if it doesn’t take long to reapply, you’ll get the added benefit of fresh makeup! What a great feeling! (As an aside, these Erase Your Face make-up removing cloths are awesome!) They have a 4.5 star rating with almost13,000 reviews!! LOVE THESE!
Another option for refreshing your energy is to try dry brushing. I learned about this when I was a student at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and I LOVE it! It’s basically a body massage using a dry, natural brush. This is the one I use. (Proceed with caution if you have sensitive skin.) Midday isn’t the most convenient time to partake of a full-body dry brush session, but a mini-session is perfect.
For your midday pick me up, you want to focus on your hands and arms … it feels delicious! Starting at your fingers, use the brush in a circular motion moving up toward your heart … do both the top and bottom of your fingers, hands, and arms. Rinse off and apply a natural lotion. (I really like TruAura’s body lotion. It’s on sale right now and you can get it from my pal, Nancy Miller here.)
Why do I have it as a perk-me-up? Dry brushing stimulates your nervous system and leaves you feeling invigorated afterward … I’ll take it! And, it can help with flaky skin, increase circulation, detoxify, and improve lymphatic flow. A terrific return on your time investment!
So, here are some easy ways to boost your energy midday, or anytime … Let me know what worked for you.
I can’t make this stuff up!
A study using data from a five-year period (UK Household Longitudinal Study of 40,000 participants) found that increases in mental wellbeing and life satisfaction were linked to increases in the intake of fruits and vegetables. You often see recommendations for people to take a walk to improve their outlook and to reduce stress. The study’s authors estimated that adding one portion of fruits or veggies to your diet each day could have the same benefit as taking 7-8 extra walks a month. Imagine what would happen if you ate a few strawberries, blueberries or some celery as you walked!
Imagine what would happen if you ate a few strawberries, blueberries, or some celery as you walked!
–Nancy Oglesby (ha!)
A University of Warwick (UK) study found that a person’s mental health can be enhanced by consuming four extra portions of fruits and vegetables daily, so much so that it can lessen the psychological impact of life stressors such as divorce and unemployment. That’s incredible!
In another study (University of Otago, NZ ) 171 students between the ages of 18-25, were divided into three groups: Group 1 continued normal eating patterns; Group 2 received texts reminding them to eat more fruits and veggies, and Group 3 were given additional servings of fruits and vegetables for two weeks. Group 3, who were given the extra servings, enjoyed greater improvement in their mental wellbeing compared to the other two groups.
So, when it comes to feeling great and having a good attitude, fruits and veggies are King and Queen!
What is the easiest way to bridge the gap between what you should eat and what you do? The Juice Plus+ trio of Blends has 30 varieties of fruits, veggies and berries. Check it out here! It is powdered produce in capsules, and even better than that amazement? They know the family farmers who grow their fruits and veggies! And, it’s all picked at the peak of ripeness, which means the peak of nutritional content!
Really, just check it out! 6-month, 100% money-back guarantee, no loopholes, no shipping … If it doesn’t meet your expectations, you have nothing to lose.
I find the book, “300 Writing Prompts,” by Piccadilly Inc., helpful on days when I’d like to be a bit introspective but haven’t a clue what to write about. I do the questions in order rather than pick and choose. That forces me to think about something rather than looking for something easy to answer. The question, What do you look forward to every week? seemed simple, but it turned out to be an eye-opener.
As I’ve aged, I often reflect on having lived an interesting life, but never thought about what I look forward to each week. It would’ve been simple to answer when I was 21, “I look forward to the weekend!” When my kids were toddlers, hands down it would have been nap time.
As my kids were getting older, I looked forward to just some quiet time away from the constant chatter, and maybe a clean room once in awhile.
Now, my kids are grown, my husband has been gone for 18 years, and there’s little structure in my days. I can typically nap, garden, get together with friends, etc. whenever I want so, when I thought about it, I was stumped. Then it dawned on me … My mornings! Every morning I spend a couple of hours reading, journaling, or studying, and I cherish every minute of it!
By answering that question, I gained an appreciation of my life, how it has changed, and how grateful I am to be able to live comfortably. And my morning time is something worth protecting.
Your answer will be different. Hopefully, by answering the question, “What do you look forward to every week?” you will gain appreciation, and even some insight into where to focus some of your self-care time. Journaling can change the way you look at life, past and present. It’s a class I love to teach!
Women over 50, if you’ve tried journaling and can’t make it stick, or if you’d like support in finding your lost energy or losing weight, sign up for one of my three free health coaching consultations this month!
I am so tired of advice to NOT use the snooze button. OK, I get it, going in and out of the sleep that you get during a few snooze sessions can be disruptive to your brain and overall energy.
But, what if you don’t use that nine minutes to sleep? What if instead you use that nine minutes (more or less) as a way of keeping you from falling back to sleep while allowing your brain to gently wake up? In today’s world nine minutes of quiet is a luxury!
Confidence that you won’t fall back asleep and will get out of bed on time allows you to relax and snuggle in, enjoy the warmth and coziness of your winter bedding, the squish of your pillow, and it allows you to float in this half dream state of gratitude.
Using the snooze button to your advantage is a wonderful way to give your mind permission to drift unfocused, to wander without the noise of the day, to appreciate warmth on a cold day …
Set your alarm to go off ten or twenty minutes early and give it a try. Ahhhhhhh …..
Alexa … snooze!
PS: I use an Echo Dot just outside the bedroom as my alarm. That way not even my arm has to leave the comfy warmth of my awesome blankets. 😊
Inspired by Einstein’s and Ernest Holmes’ words, Reverend Dr. Sharon Hudson wrote in Science of Mind magazine this month:
“When I take time to get curious and contemplate the wonder of life, I step back in awe. I see miracle upon miracle as I look at the fabric and variety of life. I take a deep look into a profound sense of connection. I find my way to God, to the nature of the universe. Just wow! I see more clearly the Divine activity and connection of all.”
When I look around at the snow against the dark trees, knowing that in less than a month there will be buds on the trees and early spring flowers bursting upward from their winter nap … Awe.
Take time to marvel. Set down the electronics, the entertainment, the angst of the moment and just breathe in the miracles.
I’m feeling a bit bearish, and I’m not talking stocks. I feel like I was hibernating, but have awakened feeling refreshed and energized. It’s really a little weird. Is anyone else having a similar experience?
Being awake (as opposed to woke) I realize I can still connect with people … the smartphone in my hand is engineered so that I can hear people’s voices and they can hear mine. Imagine, we can actually have long conversations! And many of us have much more time in which to have them!
Don’t get me wrong, I love social media, and email and texting are convenient, but with reducing contact due to COVID, and the isolation of seriously cold temperatures, they’re not enough.
So, I’m going through my contacts and instead of just commenting on posts, I’m reaching out by phone. Not everyone is available (or they’re hiding from me), but when someone answers our conversations are lovely. Connection!
It’s amazing how much catching up I have to do! Before the Great Pandemic Pause, I was so busy running from one place to the next that I wasn’t taking time to enjoy the people I met along the way. That is one of my pandemic take-aways: I want to always take time to catch up.
Another benefit is that one can walk around the house while they talk getting in much needed steps during bad weather.
If I haven’t gotten ahold of you yet, and you’re up for a chat, please reach out. Maybe I don’t have your phone number … send it via private message. I’d love to talk. It truly is grand!
It’s hard to be healthy if you’re unhappy. Motivation is harder, discipline is harder, well, life is harder. The last thing we want when we’re down is to challenge ourselves.
I’ve never been a miserable person, but today I’m a happy kind of person. It began when I decided to start my day with positivity. I’d love to take credit, but credit goes to a book that seemed to jump off the shelf at Borders one day about 8 years ago: Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude. The book seemed to be screaming at me a lot of the time, but it started the habit that changed my life.
Mr. Gitomer suggests that we spend a bit of time reading positive, inspirational things every day for 10-15 minutes. When I read empowering messages I must make notes or write about what I’m experiencing in the moment. That is what led to my journaling habit.
There are a lot of people telling us to journal, begin a gratitude practice, change our thinking and change our minds, but for me, at that time, the whole thing seemed so new and fresh and I felt at home with the idea of reading motivational material daily. I am so grateful that I did, and you will be too.
It’s important to learn ways to raise your happiness level. Jeffrey Gitomer’s book is one way. Another is Shawn Achor’s book The Happiness Advantage. In this book, Mr. Achor talks about how putting positivity first improves intelligence, creativity, productivity and energy. He calls this the Happiness Advantage and during one of my favorite TED talks he outlined a simple process designed to achieve results in 21 days. (Watch the video. It could be the best twelve minutes of your life!)
Every day list three things you’re grateful for, journal on a positive experience that occurred in the last 24 hours, exercise, meditate, and perform an act of kindness such as sending a positive email praising or thanking someone in your social, family or work network.
I can attest to most the suggestions as I regularly journal and most days there is a lot of gratitude. I also exercise gently every morning, and meditate on many days. Wouldn’t you like to get happier? Who wouldn’t?
It’s easy to effect a change toward a better, more focused brain! For more information, I recommend one, or both of the books above. (At the very least, watch the video.)
Blessings,
Nancy Oglesby, The Practical Health Coach
simplifying healthy lifestyle changes™
Good relationships are critical to your mental well-being, and it’s important to realize that not all relationships fit into that category.
I had a friend who would call up and just start right in on how miserable life was. Before the phone call I would be in a peaceful and contented place and then all of a sudden I was being harangued by misery without even a hello-how-are-you moment. I could feel my blood pressure rise!
One day my sister overheard my end of the conversation (me trying to instill, for the millionth time, some calm and practicality into the friend’s otherwise drama-laden life) and after I got off the phone she asked, “Why are you friends with that person?” Great question!
About a month or two later, after seriously mulling over the pros and cons, I walked away and haven’t looked back with regret once.
I don’t suggest ending a relationship without giving it the thought it deserves, but if a friendship is toxic, then it either has to change or you need to walk away. Your health depends on it!
Blessings,
NancyO
Happiness, or satisfaction with your life, plays an enormous part in your overall well-being. The month of November is officially Gratitude Month, so your timing is perfect! Across the world people are writing out three things they’re grateful for every day. Get in on the action and feel your days get lighter and happier as you realize how much there is to be thankful for.
For more support on how to get started improving your outlook on life and getting healthier as a result, contact me through my website: http://www.HealthWorksKC.com
Nancy’s Wellness Blog 