November is traditionally a month we focus on gratitude and thanksgiving. In recent years, it also became the month men grew out their mustaches and beards 🧔. (It’s a perfect month for a beard oil DIY for your favorite bearded guy!)
What would happen differently in your life if this month also became “No”vember and an internal “spring cleaning” of sorts began happening to make way for a strong and clear entrance into 2022?
Gather. We are designed to be in community. Biblically, we are called to be together. God never intended man to do life solo. We are to bear one another’s burdens, encourage each other, eat and fellowship together, help one another, celebrate and mourn together. Enjoy every moment with those you love!
Pro Tip: Gathering essential oil is a blend of 9 essential oils with an overall high frequency…. including Northern Lights Black Spruce, Royal Hawaiian Sandalwood and Rose. It’s also got Lavender and vetiver to help quell the cray cray. Geranium and cinnamon #iykyk 😉. Remember from all you’ve learned…. high frequency people are those people you tend to want to be around. They bring the joy and sunshine when they walk into a room. Make a statement. Become a walking diffuser with this beautiful blend. Use it as a perfume or make that beard oil!
Remember the things we have to be grateful for. 2020-2021 has been a season 😬, and yet it’s also brought many people together who might never have met. It’s allowed for downtime, reflection, personal development, and a growing awareness/calling of the important work we are all individually called to do. God is still and always has been in control. I am grateful that we don’t have to have all the answers, because God is in control… not man.
Pro Tip: Carrying gratitude in your heart and mind knocks the stress level down a few notches. Decreased stress = a healthier body. That’s a fact. The essential oil blend Gratitude is another perfume worthy high frequency blend with oils containing properties physically beneficial for overall health. Canadian Balsam, Frankincense, Ylang Ylang, Bergamot, Northern Light Black Spruce, Vetiver, and Geranium. (Do some digging or phone a friend…. if this line up didn’t make you go…. 🤔….😍….🙌🙌.) #fragrancewithbenefits
Myrrh is mentioned in the Bible 156 times. It’s the first oil mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 37:25) and the last to be mentioned in the Bible (Revelation 18:13). It was offered to Christ first as a gift when he was a baby, and the last to be offered to him as he stood at the cross (Mark 15:23).
Pro Tip: If that 👆alone doesn’t instill a desire to have myrrh in your home, know this: Myrrh was historically used as a valuable and potent health tool. Now, go do some digging. 🤓… I’ll be over here making a new batch of my DIY face serum which has Myrrh as a key ingredient these days.
Hope and belief. Hope is the constancy of faith. And what is faith, but believing. Words and thoughts form our attitudes and outcomes. If you believe you can, you will.
Pro Tip: It takes about 6 weeks to change a habit. Maybe you have been in a vortex of doubt and disbelief and can’t seem to shake it. In fact…… maybe you are sitting here right now thinking I’m full of hooey.🧐 How could oils change a habit? 🤔Well… you’re right. They can’t, especially if you leave them in the bottle, or never even have them in your home. Habit changing starts small. A spark. One thing. A string tied around the finger so you don’t forget. An oil applied daily as you start your day off on the right foot. Look around at the people who have spent 2020-2021 walking in joy and sharing happiness and contentment with them wherever they go despite the circumstances that the entire world is in. Chances are, they are healthy and continuing to grow and thrive. Hope and faith (belief) are life changers. The oils that are free (with qualifying purchase) this month are a physical reminder to “upgrade” our thinking as we approach 2022. You can doubt, or you can believe. I’ll be over here anointing myself on the regular (multiple times daily in fact) with all the goodness YL is offering while I plan my vision and goals for 2022. Join me?
xoxo~ liz
#mindsettools
(PS: If you are curious about the science behind specific oils, coaching, or just in general wanting to have a healthier mindset, I’d love chat sometime! Additionally, an unhealthy mindset may be partially attributed to a hormone, vitamin, or mineral imbalance within the body… something the right lab work can help identify.)
#gratefulhopefulbelieving
#communityisgoodmedicine
#apositivemindsetisgoodmedicine
#bettertogether
#attitudeiseverything
#useyourtools
#ThanksforthefreebiesYL
Self-Care
Pumpkin Spice Creamer
’Tis the season! I’m not a fan of Starbucks for a variety of reasons….. not the least of which is their potent inflammation causing ingredients. Save some big bucks and make your own Pumpkin Spice Latte for a fraction of the price! And heck, you even get real pumpkin with other real ingredients that are helpful instead of harmful 😉.
Super interesting article that pulls the curtain back on what exactly is (and isn’t) in a ‘bucks Pumpkin Spice Latte: https://www.popsci.com/whats-actually-in-pumpkin-spice…/
The application of knowledge is power.
xoxo~ liz
Health Clues from Your Urine – part 2
What does your pee say about your health? PART II
*Urine, in most healthy situations, should be seen but not smelled. There are exceptions of course (Have you ever experienced “asparagus pee”?), but the offending odor should be transient and not trending towards permanence. Urine with a strong ammonia smell may indicate dehydration or bacterial infections. A sharp change in hormones (ie: pregnancy or menopause) may also contribute to pungent pee. “Sweet or fruity smelling” urine may indicate a high ketone content in urine as is often seen in unregulated diabetes. Some medications can certainly create an environment for malodorous micturation. Sulfa based medications (note: sulfa and sulfur are NOT the same chemical entity), antibiotics, diuretics, birth control pills, lyrica, tramadol, and oxycodone are also potentially causative agents of stinky pee.
Frequent urination is a topic near and dear to my heart (and bladder). An estimated 33 million people in the USA struggle with this health clue. Having a spastic bladder can be a nuisance or it can be downright life limiting. The causes (clues) are varied:
🔎Urinary tract infection (pair with urine color and odor)
🔎Low estrogen levels (resulting from a hormone imbalance, menopause,or even excessive exercise)
🔎Pregnancy or post childbirth, chronic constipation, chronic coughing, frequent heavy lifting, obesity, pelvic floor weakness (see unbalanced pelvic floor muscles below)
🔎Enlarged prostate (men)
🔎Diabetes
🔎Spinal cord injuries or dysfunctions
🔎Pelvic floor muscles (there are 16 of them) are unbalanced. Think of a webbed hammock where some of the webbing is strong and others are weak. Each muscle needs to be equal in strength. If this is a known issue, kegel exercises are not the answer. You’ll want to find an excellent pelvic floor therapist to guide you in your strengthening and healing process.
🔎Medication (ex: diuretics, lithium, steroids)
🔎Emotions. The bladder and kidneys are the home to emotions related to fear and anxiety. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, chronic bladder and kidney issues may correlate with “difficulty finding their place in life”. Many women (and men) who have a weak pelvic floor often report lacking support somewhere in their lives. Please do not underestimate the importance of healing emotionally when looking for ways to heal physically. Our issues do indeed reside in our tissues. There is an excellent book entitled The Body Keeps Score, by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (MD) which explains the importance of resolving the emotional ties to specific health conditions. #worththeread
🔎Interstitial cystitis
Interstitial cystitis is where my🙋♀️ personal “overactive bladder” story began in 2002. IC is an enigmatic chronic bladder condition that causes varying degrees of pelvic pain and discomfort. It also causes a chronic and constant need to urinate. Imagine having stomach ulcers in your bladder. That’s the best way I can describe what it felt like. In my case, it took nearly 3 years and 4 different doctors before finding one who suggested a cystoscopy to confirm her suspicions. As with all inflammatory disease states, what we expose ourselves to matters. I was blessed with a doctor who actually took the time to educate me on the truth of this. Instead of pushing me towards medication, she urged me to begin a strict elimination diet, stay well hydrated, and to learn to manage stress better. Wow! Imagine what our health care would look like if all western medicine based doctors would prescribe this type of sage advice! 🙌
Learning which foods and lifestyle choices triggered a worsening of my urge to pee was eye👀 opening indeed. Sometimes it was hit or miss, and I would often pay the price by having to get up 7-8 times a night to go to the bathroom. A serendipitous travel situation in 2008 completely changed everything when I discovered that nearly all processed foods were inflammation causing agents. I couldn’t believe how much better I felt in the presence of 100% fresh clean food! Staying well hydrated with filtered water quickly became key to keeping my bladder happy too. I know it may sound counterintuitive to strive for a full bladder to pee less….. Diluting toxins in the bladder makes what’s in the bladder less of an irritant!
Fast forward to 2013 when I was introduced to Young Living products. I had learned to manage my interstitial cystitis as holistically as possible, and in doing so, I had dodged the very real bullet of daily self catheterization that often occurs with people who have severe IC. I still had some nasty flare ups, and was still getting up 4-6 times a night (on average) to pee. One of the “thank you” products I had received from my Young Living monthly subscription order was Sulfurzyme. It was free, looked interesting, and tho I hadn’t really identified a personal need, I decided to take it. According to the YL website, Sulfurzyme may be of value to anyone who wishes to support their joints, range of motion, bone health, metabolic function, immune system, hair and skin. Within two weeks of taking Sulfurzyme faithfully I began noticing enormous changes within my bladder along with a decreased urge to urinate. Around that time, I also began using a DIY face serum recipe which contains Frankincense and Lavender every morning. Should I have been shocked that what I put on my face also happened to make my bladder very happy? In 2014, I was still learning essential oil basics, and this was a lesson to the truth that oils work best in “all the ways” when they are used. Get them out of the bottle and into the air or on your skin. You just never know what might happen with regular consistent use. 😉
I’ve continued to clean up my “issues within my tissues” over the years, and I am so much healthier in mind, body, and spirit than I was when I was in my 30’s. This is a lifestyle, not a “once ‘n done” kind of thing. Freedom is never free, especially in the case of a health condition. I had to be willing to do the hard work, to live like no one else sometimes, and to listen to what my body needed. Everyone has their own story, their own diagnosis, their own emotional journey to recognize. Overcoming ( ____________ ) requires change and the courage and willingness to do so. As they say, “Insanity is doing the same things over and over again, and expecting different results.” I pray you are discovering yourself as you become your own health detective. Learning to read your own health clues and then acting on those clues is true self love. Never forget that each of our bodies is a temple and as such, requires tender loving care and maintenance every single day. You are worth it!
xoxo~ liz
#sharingiscaring
#goodmedicineisnotfasteasyorcookiecutter
#goodmedicine
#thanksYL
Health Clues in Your Eyes – part 3
👀EYE CLUES PART III: KEEPING YOUR PEEPERS HEALTHY👀
“I can’t wait to lose my eyesight.”…… said no one ever.
We tend to take our eyesight for granted, yet neglecting eye care /health is arguably an epidemic. Statistically, one in six American adults over the age of 45 will suffer from one or more eye conditions that increase the risk of vision loss or impairment with aging.
Genetically, I know that I am predisposed to Age related Macular Degeneration (AMD). I watched my grandmother (an avid 📚 reader) slowly go blind from AMD. Two of her children have also been diagnosed with the same. Yet, I also know that epigenetics (the role our environment plays on the expression of genes) is about 90% of the equation. While I cannot control my genes, I have a tremendous amount of control on my environment and am doing “all the things” as well as working to avoid “all the other things ☠️” that may wake those darn AMD genes up.
*Eye health is often a direct reflection of what we have eaten over the years. Foods rich in vitamins C, A, and E, Zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, and omega-3’s are crucial to protecting eyes against future age related vision loss. What would an eye supportive diet like this look like?
Well, it would include lots of leafy green veggies, carrots, red peppers, yellow squash, tomatoes🍅, fatty fish🐟 such as salmon, tuna and sardines, eggs, lemons, grapefruits, oranges, apricots, kiwi’s, mangoes, eggs, nuts, and beans. I eat nearly all of these foods regularly, but certainly not on a strict schedule daily. Knowing that, I choose to supplement DAILY to ensure proper nutritional support of my eyes.
NingXia Red and NingXia Wolfberries provide excellent natural support throughout the body, and are especially beneficial for eye health. Zeaxanthin, carotenoids, Vitamin C, zinc, magnesium and taurine are all beneficial nutrients within NingXia Red.
NingXia Wolfberries are rich in zeaxanthin and lutein which are eye protecting carotenoids, defending the eyes from free radical damage. 100grams (roughly a handful of wolfberries) contains 27,800 mcg of zeaxanthin. By comparison, egg yolks are a common food with one of the highest levels of zeaxanthin and have only 1,253 mcg per 100grams. Additionally, the type of zeaxanthin in the NingXia Wolfberry is unusual. For the science guys and gals, it’s an esterified version (zeaxanthin dipalmitate) making it 2-5x more bioavailable than what is normally found in most supplements.
Diets that are deplete of zeaxanthin and lutein trigger the same damage leading to AMD and/or cataracts.
We’ve already spoken a bit about Young Living’s eye supplement, IlluminEyes, and it warrants saying again….. Go check out the ingredient list on the bottle! YL did their research and have given us an excellent tool for supporting eye health.
*Other supplements to consider include OmegaGize or MindWise for a clean source of Omega3’s, and Super C Chewables.
Do you drink Young Living’s yummy (and beneficial) Slique Tea? Don’t throw those bags away after first use. I can usually get two cups of tea out of each bag, and then I throw them in the fridge. When I have two bags (usually in 2 days), I use them over my eyes during a 20 minute prayer/ downtime during the day to help mitigate computer eye fatigue. The caffeine remaining in the bags causes blood vessels to constrict, and tea itself has antioxidant properties, and also contains astringent-like compounds which may help tighten skin around the eyes. I’m sure it doesn’t hurt to have that added exposure to the frankincense in the tea bag too!😉
Other ways to support optimal eye health include:
👀Wear sunglasses that block UV rays
👀Avoid excessive exposure to computer (and phone) screens and/or use blue light blocking glasses during extended screen time exposure.
👀Don’t smoke. Just don’t.
👀Get regular eye exams and be vigilant about recognizing any changes in eye performance or visible changes in the eye.
👀Make sure you are getting plenty of fresh air and oxygen.
👀Use quality skin care products and makeup. #ThanksYL ! Our toxin load matters, even in eye health!
👀Stay well hydrated (the eye is about 95% water, so you may imagine how chronic dehydration could affect eyesight and eye health).
I Often hear the argument that eating well and supplementing is just too expensive. My response will always be this: We can pay for our health proactively or reactively by paying the farmer👩🔧 up front, or the pharmacist👩⚕️ later… but either way, we will pay. If the choice is to “wait and see”, it will likely become more than only financial burden. I plan to enjoy my golden years doing all the things I love to do instead of spending time in doctor and therapy appointments, taking medications that may inhibit living a fully vibrant life, and consenting to someone else managing my personal health. The choice is ultimately ours to make.
xoxo~ liz
#sharingiscaring
#supportyourlocalpeepers
#YouAreTheCEOofYou
#goodmedicine
#goodmedicineisproactiveinsteadofreactive
#thanksYL
#Godgaveusallweneedinthegarden
Guns & Poses 2021
Our 4th annual Guns ‘n Poses is in the books! This is my favorite event of the year…. it was a vision Terry (one of my bff’s) and I had 5 years ago, and each year it just gets better and better as we work to empower women in all the ways! Every year, the topic content is slightly different but three things remain the same:
yoga / stretching
💥 gun safety / marksmanship / confidence building with firearms
👩Health and wellness topics that are science based with a primary focus on self empowerment. #theapplicationofknowledgeispower We are the CEO’s of ourselves and our homes and as such, we need to learn how to run our “company” as efficiently and effectively as posssible so that we can live vibrantly and our “company” can thrive and prosper🙌. Living a life of “meh or okay-ness” is not how we are supposed to live according to the word of God.
We are always sold out at this event…. next year, our 5th annual, is already in planning stages and we are strongly considering a “retreat style” 2-3 day event. It’s time to kick it up a notch for year 5! 💥❤💥❤💥
About 4 years ago, I asked God to help give me a business plan/model that would honor Him, allow me to serve others using the gifts He has given me, and empower others to do the same.
The result was not so much a plan, but a daily🙏 prayer:
“Lord, bring me people who need healing… whether that be physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, or in community.” Each year, Guns ‘n Poses is a celebration and reminder for me, and hopefully, for others too, that God is faithful in all the ways if only we seek Him and come together in a supportive and loving community.
I am blessed beyond measure, and I hope that paying it forward inspires others to do the same. THIS is how we change the world😘.
xoxo~ liz
#caringissharing
#thanksYL
#4thannualGunsnPoses
#useyoursuperpowersforgood